Iowa - The Hawkeye State English Version
by jugglequeen
Summary: Angela moved to Branford, Iowa, to be together with Tony, but the state's nickname - Hawkeye - casts a shadow over their happiness soon.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: **This is the English version of the German story with the same title which I started to publish roughly a week ago. Although translating is driving me nuts, I will continue doing so, posting the chapters in both languages - German followed by English. It will be interesting to find out which language serves better in telling the story. To everybody who understands both languages - let me know! To all the others - enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:** The characters of Who's the Boss? don't belong to me, no copyright violation intended._

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**Chapter 1**

Angela was sitting at the small kitchen table in front of her third cup of coffee and flipped listlessly through the paper. Fifteen minutes had been enough to peruse this fish wrap. No, you definitely couldn't compare the Branford Gazette to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, but in this one-horse town these papers weren't available until the following day and there really was nothing as boring as reading yesterday's paper. So, every morning she contented herself with these few pages, whose main headline for today was "Mayor's wife grew the hugest pumpkin".

"Oh gosh, I'm glad I don't have to live on without knowing this!" she exclaimed sarcastically. She folded the newspaper and shoved it away. She looked out of the window, took another sip of coffee, which had already become cold, and sighed. Another Monday morning to face with five odd days to follow. Five days Tony would be very busy and she would hardly catch any sight of him; five days which would drag on forever; five days with too much time for her to spend. How she dreaded those five days!

She had come to Iowa with so many hopes and dreams. After having graduated, Tony had desperately looked for a job in the Fairfield area. He had even applied as a driving instructor, only to be having something to do. But teaching positions were hard to find; especially as a history teacher, and especially at his age. He had become dissatisfied being unemployed for so long. His college years hadn't been easy; he had worked hard, he had tolerated his younger fellow students making fun about him, and he had still been Angela's housekeeper.

A lot had happened throughout his years as a student at Ridgemont College, but most of all he had met Kathleen who attended the same art class as he. After a late night learning session with their study group in a local motel, they had started kissing and had spent the night together eventually. Sneaking back into Angela's house the next morning, Tony felt like an unfaithful husband who had betrayed his wife, only that Angela hadn't been his wife and he hadn't been her husband. His relationship to Kathleen had almost destroyed everything that they had built up within the previous six years. They had become best friends, they had been living like a family along with Mona, Samantha and Jonathan. Neither of them could think of a life without the other any more. And over time they had realized that there was far more than just friendship between them. They had felt attracted to each other almost from day one, when Tony had moved into the house at Oak Hills Drive with Sam. All these years, the two of them had successfully suppressed their feelings - sometimes to a greater, sometimes to a lesser extent. They were too afraid that the failure of a romantic relationship would destroy their blended family inevitably. So for many years both insisted that they were only friends. It had taken Tony's relationship to Kathleen and Angela's short affair with Andy to knock some sense into their heads as to make them acknowledge the fact that they loved each other. So they had given their romance a go and after having some problems to adapt to the new situation at first, they had enjoyed their new relationship to the fullest.

Since then, Angela had been on cloud nine. She had loved Tony in secret for many years and had been longing to be together with him some day. For Tony, things had been more difficult. To be in a relationship with his boss had put his proud Italian ego to a test. His plan had been to graduate first before opening his heart to her, but then, all of sudden, he had been sitting in this swan in the love tunnel at the Brooklyn fair, and the fear of losing Angela forever had surpassed his concerns. He had to find a way of coping with still being her housekeeper, with receiving a pay cheque out of her hand every month, with not being able to offer her anything. That had rankled him so much that in an attack of megalomania he had bought her a painting he couldn't afford at all, only to keep up with her ex-boyfriends, who had all been affluent and successful business men. In the end, she had lent him the money for her own present; that had been a bitter pill for him to swallow. After that, he had worked even harder at college to become independent from her some day. The day of his graduation had been one of great relief because it finally enabled him to stand on his own feet. He had instantly started to apply for teaching jobs but they hadn't been so easy to find; the longer he was looking without the slightest success, the more frustrated he became. Had going through all that trouble been in vain? Was he supposed to live off of her money forever?

Things seemed to take a turn for the better the day Angela had found a letter from Wells Junior College in the mail box. It had been a job offer almost too good to be true; a position as history teacher and head baseball coach of a team which hitherto had only been moderately successful. What a challenge! Tony and Angela had been very excited until the last sentence had brought them back down to earth. "We would like to meet you for an interview here in Iowa next Friday." - Iowa! That was definitely too big a distance to commute! Eventually, it had been Angela who forced him to accept the offer. She knew it was his dream job, that nothing like this would ever come his way again. This job perfectly matched his skills and she didn't want him to turn it down because of her. She wanted him to realize his professional ambitions just like she had been doing all these years. He had worked so hard for his degree.

At the beginning, they had tried to live with seeing each other only on the weekend. They had taken turns in visiting the other just to be able to spend two days together at the same place, and because they yearned for each other so badly, all the trouble hadn't really bothered them. Problems started to show up only after a few months. Either Angela had to attend some kind of business event and had to cancel her visit in Branford, or Tony had an additional practice with his baseball team on his schedule and couldn't make the trip to Fairfield. Once, they hadn't seen each other in three weeks already, all of New York airports had been closed due to a heavy thunderstorm and they had been doomed to satisfy their longing for each other with extensive phone calls only.

That had been the day Angela decided to take the matter into her own hands. She had waited seven long years until she could show her love to Tony openly, now she wasn't willing to accept being separated from him by this 1000-mile-divide between Connecticut and Iowa so easily. All these years, Tony had supported her in running the Bower Agency, now it was her turn to align herself with him. So she had delegated her mother all the necessary managing authority for her agency, she had briefed her two vice presidents and had informed her clients that she would retreat from the daily operative business for an indefinite period of time. She would be available in case of emergencies and would inquire and check on-site regularly, but she was determined to move to Iowa to support Tony in his career as a college professor. And she wanted to be at his side; she wanted to have breakfast with him, she wanted to share his successes and ... his bed - despite the fact that they had once agreed to postpone sex until after the wedding, but this had been rather Tony's wish than hers. Angela physically desired him and didn't want to fight against her cravings any longer. She hoped that in his cozy apartment he would break down and give in eventually.

This one of Angela's hopes had come true, at least. After she had moved to Branford, leaving her old life in Fairfield behind, even Tony perceived their joint life differently. Angela wasn't only visiting anymore but staying in his apartment for good. What a joy that was! They were equal now, and he loved her so much, having yearned for her for such a long time. Tony felt attracted to her almost right from the day he had moved into the house at Oak Hills Drive; first he only admired her secretly, but very soon he couldn't hide his gentle affection and eventually had to admit that he loved her whole-heartedly. It hadn't been easy to resist her feminine charms. She was picture-perfectly beautiful and so indescribably sexy! He had gone to bed with other women - he hadn't been living like a monk - but none of them ever touched his heart in a way that he saw his prospective wife in her. That was different with Angela. The closer they became, the more he felt that she indeed was the first woman who made him want to get married again - the first since Marie, his childhood sweetheart, who had been taken away from him so brutally and much too early by cancer. After he had lost her, he never believed that it might happen again. So it took him some time to get used to the thought but then it elated him.

Marie and he had made love for the first time in their wedding night, too. That was the way Tony looked at women; there were those with whom he was having fun in bed and there were only two in his life he could picture himself leading to the altar. But he wasn't in his early twenties anymore and suppressing his desire for Angela for so many years had weakened his resistance and had put his self-discipline to a test. When she had been standing in the door frame to his bedroom in nothing but a silky, champagne-colored, lace-trimmed negligee on her first night after having moved into his apartment, the amount of his physical desire had surprised Tony but he still thought he would be able to control himself. Only after having shared countless passionate kisses and ardent caresses he had lifted her and had carried her the short way to his bed, his lips never leaving hers. They had made love and their wildest fantasies had come true that night; both had dreamt more than once about this and had visioned what their first time would be like. They were utterly happy, and Angela was convinced moving to Iowa had definitely been the right decision.

Initially!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Another day was over, she had survived another day. You could only see it this way. After having emptied her last cup of coffee in the morning, and she drank far too much coffee, she had cleaned the kitchen, although there wasn't much to do. Usually, Tony only had two slices of toast in the morning and a coffee. You couldn't call that a cozy breakfast à deux. Angela wasn't sure why it was so important to her all of sudden. In Fairfield, her breakfast had also only consisted of a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee. Back then, it had been Tony who forced her to take her time for a nutritious and healthy start for the day. But she had always been on the run to her agency, not having any time for Tony who had greeted her every day with a joyful "good morning, Angela" on his lips. Now she faced the very same situation; she would be standing in the kitchen in her bathrobe, greeting him happily, "good morning, Honey!" and if she was lucky, she would get a quick kiss on her cheek. If she was _really_ lucky, he would take her in his arms, look deep into her eyes and kiss her tenderly on the mouth. But recently, she wasn't really lucky very often. Now it was him who was in a hurry every morning, who had a sip of coffee passing by, who ate his morning sandwich standing at the kitchen counter and who called out to her "until tonight, Sweetheart!" with a full mouth.

Had he also felt this empty after she had vanished through the door in the morning? Like a piece of furniture you place somewhere in the rearmost corner of your room until you need it again? She hoped he hadn't, because it was a lousy feeling and the mere perception that Tony might have felt like this during all his housekeeping years made her uneasy. Maybe being alone in this apartment was the problem? Tony had the kids to look after, and Mona, who had used to come home from the office earlier than Angela. He had taken care of the house and he had eventually started to go to college. He had never been bored like she was now, he had always known what to do with his free time. Well, she didn't. She didn't know what to do with her free time. And she had so much of it! How many more afghans was she supposed to knit? They already had countless of paintings, they could just as well start an art gallery. She had read all the books from the latest bestseller list, she might consider literary criticism as a second career. Time seemed to pass slower out here. In bustling New York she had sometimes been surprised about how fast the day had come to an end, here she thought the second hand moved on so slowly just to mock her. It felt as if a day in Branford had 48 hours instead of 24.

When they had still been living in Fairfield, she loved to come home. When she had opened the front door in the evening, tired and worn-out after a long, stressful working day, the table had always been laid nicely, a delicious dinner had been prepared and her family had been there. These family dinners with everybody talking across each other, had been the highlight of every working day, something Angela had been looking forward to during a tough meeting or when she had to do some dull paperwork. Like Tony had always done back then, Angela tried to surprise him with a home-cooked meal every evening to the best of her abilities. She had even learned how to cook - at least a bit. An elderly lady from the neighborhood had befriended her and had shown her some of her family recipes, although these were mainly home cooking meals and dishes typical for the Midwest. Nothing somebody from the metropolitan East coast was used to. And her new friend couldn't teach her the Italian cuisine either, which Tony mastered so skillfully. But Angela tried very hard and read every available cookbook - time never ran out. On the weekend, the two of them would cook together, so her repertoire expanded gradually and she was able to surprise Tony with a tasty dinner from time to time.

Like every late afternoon, Angela was standing in the kitchen, chopping some onions, a pan with hot olive oil waiting on the stove. Tonight it should be pasta with a simple but savory tomato sauce. That was a dish she already mastered quite well, although she wasn't able to chop this stupid onions as thoroughly as Tony. She opened a bottle of red wine mainly for deglazing the onions but she poured herself a glass too. The cooking wine needed to be tasted after all, so she had a sip ... no corky taste - good! Into the pan with it! She startled a bit at the hissing sound of the liquid touching the hot pan. She had already brought a huge saucepan with salted water to a boil. As soon as Tony would be there, dinner had to be ready fast, because on Friday nights he was very hungry usually after an extensive practice with his baseball team. Maybe she wasn't the best chef, but from her former position as president of the Bower Agency she knew how to organize herself and her time managing skills had always been legendary.

Angela was looking forward to the weekend. Tony had Saturdays and Sundays off and spent the time with her - on most weekends that was. During the season, Saturday was matchday with Tony standing at the sideline and coaching his team. Home games would only eat up a small part of their weekend. Angela would usually sit in the stands, cheer on the boys and admire the way Tony did his job at the sideline so eagerly and full of energy. After the game was over, there would be a short de-briefing with the team, they would evaluate the final score, and then he would donate the rest of his weekend completely to her. With away games it was entirely different. Iowa was a big state and some of the trips to the other colleges and their teams were quite long. Some Saturdays, Tony would sneak out of bed even before Angela woke up. When she opened her eyes and saw the empty space he had so recently been lying in, she snuggled into his pillow which still smelled of him. Sometimes, he stayed away for the night, when a late night game wouldn't allow the drive back home. That was even worse! Going to bed without him was almost intolerable for Angela. It reminded her of the time before Tony and she had become a couple. Her bed had always looked too big for her alone and there had been nights she simply stared at it, wishing he would be there to share it with her.

Angela was in deep thought, stirring the sauce on the stove, when she felt a tender kiss on her neck. Tony! She turned around and there he stood directly in front of her nose with a boyish grin on his face. He looked so good! He was a bit worn-out, his hair was tousled, his hoodie a bit sweaty, and he had the big sports bag still on his shoulder. She loved to see him like this. This was her Tony. She still had to get used to the Tony who left the apartment every morning in a suit with shirt and tie, briefcase in hand.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" he said. "I'm sorry that I'm a bit late again. But the boys needed another session of hitting practice, otherwise we won't have the slightest chance against the Drake Bulldogs from Des Moines next week. They're the league leader and haven't lost a single game so far. But I'm here now!"

He took her in his arms and gave her a forceful kiss on the mouth. Angela was blissful; all the hardship of the day seemed to be blown away with a single kiss.

"How was your day? Did you miss me?" she asked jauntily.

"Oh boy, did I miss you!" Another loving kiss followed and Angela melted like butter in his hands. Then he broke the kiss and lifted the pan's lid. "Hmmm, this smells delicious. I'm hungry like a wolf. Let me have a quick shower first, I put on some fresh clothes, then we gonna have dinner, okay?"

"Okay! Hurry up." 'Oh, how I would like to join you in the shower, Honey!' crossed her mind and she startled a bit at how naughty this thought acutally was. She almost didn't recognize herself, as she had always been the rather prude, uptight and reserved type. But Tony was so adorable and the mere perception of hot water running down in muscular, well-shaped body brought her blood to a boil - it was boiling just like the tomato sauce on the stove right in front of her. She shook her head, 'I guess this happens when there's nothing else to do than killing the time until your most favorite guy gets home', she thought.

Dinner always compensated her for the fast breakfast in the morning. Eventually he had time for her, eventually he focussed on her, eventually they were together. Tony talked about his day, about the students he had in various classes. Angela knew some of them by name, especially his problem kids. He was wrapped up in caring about each and every one of them individually, of arousing their interest for history, art, and literature. 'That's why I urged him to become a teacher', Angela always thought in moments like that. The shine she saw in his eyes and the pride she heard in his voice when he talked about his students' successes managed to conjure a smile on her face as well.

"Tony, have you already been thinking about what we might do at the weekend?"

She loved being surprised by his ideas. Sometimes he would abduct her into the mountains for two days or take her for dinner and dancing to one of the near small villages. Once they had made all the way to Dubuque and had laughed about how well-lit it was. Mona had teased them once - they hadn't been together yet - telling them that there was enough electricity between them to supply a city like Dubuque with it. But Angela's dearest memory was the one of the small log cabin in a wildlife reserve Tony had once rented. With a full picnic basket in the car, they had lived like hermits the entire weekend and had spent most of it in that little alcove bed under a cute red-white-checkered blanket. If the choices had been hers, they would've never left that place.

Tony hesitated. "Uhmm, Angela ... I have to tell you something." He looked at her briefly, but then avoided her eyes and she could read from his face immediately that there wouldn't be a romantic weekend - once again.

"What?" she asked, already somewhat irritated.

"The boys are still in need of an additional fitness training, their condition is just not like I want it to be! If we want to finish better this season, we need to practice more stamina." Tony had a bad conscience and felt being torn between his responsibility as a coach and his stunning fiancé, whom he had neglected the entire work week. "I'll make up for it on Sunday, I promise!" Her sad and disappointed face broke his heart. "I'm sorry Angela."

She swallowed and suppressed some tears. She had always been a master of controlling her emotions and keeping her inner state to herself. She put aside the fork, she had lost all appetite, took a sip of wine, put the glass back on the table and remained silent.

"Angela?" Tony was confused. Did she understand? Was she angry? Sad? Disappointed?

Angela took a deep breath. "I understand", she said flatly. "Another weekend you have to work. Sometimes I really ask myself why I came here. I don't get to see you anyway." Now she was close to tears. "Which was the last weekend we had only for ourselves? Without a squeezed-in practice here or a meeting with a future scholar there? Do you even realize that we hardly have any time together?"

This was not the way she had pictured it. It had been hard enough to leave behind her old life, but the prospect of living with Tony in Iowa, as the woman at his side, had made her brush away all her misgivings. Her mother had only shaken her head and had said, "Angela, want do you want to do there in this no man's land? You're a city girl. This wasteland is going to drive you crazy in no time!" Leaving the Bower Agency to her mother hadn't been easy either. She had worked so hard for so many years for it and having success in her business provided her with a great deal of satisfaction and self-esteem. Some of her clients had expressed their displeasure that she henceforth would no longer be working on their campaigns and one or two had even threatened to look for another agency. She had been willing to take the chances just to be with him. What for?

"I know, I know. I _am_ sorry, Angela, but I can't help it. Sunday will be ours completely. I promise! I already have an idea for a nice getaway. You'll like it, I'm positive about that." He gently stroked her cheek and looked deep into her eyes. 'How come his hands are so warm and soft?' Angela thought. Like always, she couldn't say no to him when he was looking at her with his puppy dog eyes. His brown, warm eyes managed to soothe her every time.

She sighed, raised her eyebrows and smiled at him while slightly shaking her head. "Why do I always fall for your promises?"

"Because you love me!" he said mischievously. He stood up, took her hand and asked her to stand up too. He pulled her close, cupped her face and looked at her. "Tell me, Ms. Bower, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I've planned to go to bed early with a good book", was her nonchalant response but she had to struggle to stay earnest.

"I see, with a good book ..."

"Yes, it's supposed to be very inspiring", she teased him.

"Inspiring? Uh-huh, ... I could think of something else." His voice had a lusting undertone. He pressed her body to his, stroked her blond locks and let his hands travel slowly down her back.

"And what would that be?" She didn't want to let him off the hook so easily. It ought to be quite a bit of an effort for him.

"Well, how about a game of gin rummy?" He kissed her ever so gently behind her earlobe, then on her neck. "We could also watch a documentary on TV." His lips worked their way to her collarbone. "There are still some boxes in the garage, we could also unpack those." He studded her cleavage with feathery kisses. "Oooor ..."

"Or what?" she asked breathlessly.

"Or we leave everything here as it is, the deck of cards stays in the cabinet", he stroked her cheek, "the TV remains switched-off", he breathed a kiss behind her right ear, "we let the boxes be boxes", another kiss behind her left ear, "and we indeed go to bed early, ... but without a book." His voice was velvety-soft now.

"How could I resist this?"

"You simply can't, Baby!" He grinned at her.

Tony loved to seduce her. For so many years he was only allowed to do that in his fantasy. Now that they finally were a couple, he enjoyed making unambiguous compliments and luring her into his bedroom with suggestive remarks. It now seemed like a crazy idea to him that he had once planned to save himself up until their wedding night. How could he have ever believed that he would be able to resist her feminine charms for that long? He took her hand, set one foot behind the other and was slowly dragging her behind himself towards the bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Angela woke up the next morning, she found herself alone in the bed. As Tony had announced, he had gotten up early for the training session with his team. She sighed. He was away for such a long time already that the space beside her had turned cold. She felt as if heaven had locked her out; it hurt so much that happiness was so close but so far away at the same time. She turned away from Tony's side of the bed and was reminded painfully of the end of her marriage to Michael. Like Tony, he had been away repeatedly on one of his trips to the most remote places of the world to shoot documentaries. And she had been left alone in that big house and in that big bed. After all, Jonathan had been there and she had always been able to plunge herself into her job at Wallace & McQuade; both had helped her to bridge the time until Michael had popped in again on a brief visit. Someday, Angela had to admit that this kind of living - or rather _not_ living - together wasn't exactly what she once had in mind for a well-working marriage. Eventually, their separation was inevitable. Although it had been Michael who had put an end to their marriage when he moved out and left her and little Jonathan, she had mentally separated herself from him much earlier. She was frightened. Were Tony and she steering unstoppably towards the failure of their relationship as well? They had been yearning for each other for seven long years, now they were a couple for roughly one year only and faced the first chaps already. Would keeping their relationship as one between friends have been the wiser decision? After tossing and turning in her bed for quite some time, she couldn't take it any more and got up.

The phone rang and Angela hoped it was Tony who told her when he would be home. She quickly pulled the receiver off the hook.

"Hello?"

"Hello Angela. This is your mother!" Mona chirped into the phone.

"Oh, it's you, Mother", Angela replied without hiding her disappointment.

"Who did you expect?"

"Tony."

"Tony? He should be lying in your bed. It's only 7:30 your time on a Saturday morning. I was wondering whether any of you love birds might answer the phone at all", she said smugly.

Angela only sighed.

"Tell me Dear, are there any dark clouds in paradise?" Mona had a sixth sense for such things. For all these years, she had hoped that Tony and Angela would confide in each other and she had been the happiest of all mothers after the two of them had gotten together finally. But she hadn't liked the idea of starting their joint life in Iowa very much. She knew from the start that it wouldn't work; Angela being separated from her agency, without having anything to do really, and Tony having his first full-fledged job as a teacher - that couldn't go well! And now she saw all her fears confirmed.

"No Mother, Tony had to squeeze in an unforseeable practice. From this afternoon on we'll spend the weekend together", Angela reassured. She wasn't in the mood to talk about her love life with her mother.

"Whatever you say, Angela. But you know that you can always talk to me, right?"

"Yes, I know, thank you Mother. Why are you calling this hour anyway? Has something happened?" Angela became nervous all of a sudden. Although it was one hour later on the East coast, 8:30 on a Saturday morning was still fairly early for her mother who usually went out on a date on Friday nights.

"I have great news! You're scheduled for a marketing award, my dear. Apparently it hasn't gotten around to the Advertising Association of America yet that you're no longer on board because they want to make you have the Outstanding Achievement Award."

"You're making fun of me, Mother!"

Angela didn't believe her ears. That was one of the most prestigious prizes awarded in her industry. How long had she dreamed of it to get it? And just now, as she was slowly but gradually wasting away in this no man's land, this honor should be given to her? She didn't understand anything anymore.

"As much as I would like to do that ... your campaign for the Philology Association to enhance the reading habits of teenagers had set new standards, Angela. It not only was very creative and innovative, it also had its effect. You promoted a really good cause here! Parents read their children more stories and American teenagers started reading books again instead of only playing computer games. Part of the credit for this development belongs to you and that's why you'll get this award. As difficult as this is for me ...", Mona cleared her throat, "... you've earned this!"

Angela sat down on the little couch in the living room. She had to let that sink in. She knew that she was good in what she was doing, brilliant actually, but learning that others perceived that as well, above all the preeminent Advertising Association of America, filled her with satisfaction and pride. The Outstanding Achievement Award was something like the Oscars of the advertising industry; who once was awarded one, henceforth belonged to the illustrious circle of big shots in this business. And now she, Angela Bower, should receive this award. What a relief after all these years of constant struggle. She had been forced to put up with filthy remarks in testosterone-driven old boys' clubs, she had seen far less talented men climb the corporate ladder quicker than herself, and she had lived with being mistaken for the secretary instead of the president. Now she had finally reached Mount Olympus, where she had always wanted to be. Finally!

Mona pulled her out of her musings. "The award ceremony takes place in two months from now here in New York, on the occasion of the great advertising banquet at the Waldorf Astoria. I'm holding the invitation in my hand, I think you've missed to notify the Association about your move to Idaho." She just couldn't bite back this last small sarcastic remark.

"Iowa, Mother, not Idaho", Angela corrected her.

"Oh, what the heck! Where's the difference? Both hinterland! The centre of the advertising world is here, Angela! Here in New York! You've grown up here and you belong here. I know you. I'm well aware that you're not happy over there. And the fact that you're all alone on a Saturday morning supports my theory. Where is Tony? Why isn't he with you? You've moved into this dump only because of him! Angela, if you're not cautious enough, this will destroy your relationship. This won't work in the long run and the earlier you realize, the better. If Tony thinks he can change you into a devoted housewife, he is mistaken. That's simply not you, Angela!"

Mony was sorry for being so blunt and relentless. She would've preferred to tell her daughter this face to face and not on the phone. She could imagine exactly what her frank words did to Angela. Lying to herself was comfortable, and for a while she would get through with it, but sooner or later every cloud-castle collapsed. That she had to tear down her daughter's protective walls with a wrecking ball made her sad, but she had to for Angela's own good. Her love for Tony would perish inevitably, if the two of them went on like this. If Tony wasn't able or willing to see it, he was an idiot! 'I won't let my daughter lose her true self out there, that's for sure!' she silently swore to herself.

"The two of you will be coming, won't you?"

"Sure we will be coming. What are you thinking?" Angela replied emphatically although she indeed was a bit worried about the 'we'.

"If Tony doesn't have an away match, you mean ..." Why couldn't she hold back the sarcasm? She had burdened her enough already.

"Mother, Tony knows how important this is for me. I'm sure he'll do his utmost to be able to be there. By the way, the season will be over until then. There might be some friendly games, but I guess his assistant coach can take up the slack for him once." 'Hopefully', flashed through her mind.

"Okay, then just let me know when you will be coming. I'll pick you up at the airport." Mona hoped devoutly that the two of them would be coming. Heaven over Iowa would darken furthermore, if they didn't, she knew. And then, she was surprised about it and couldn't believe it herself, she said softly, "I'm proud of you, Dear!" and smiled into the phone.

"Thank you, Mother! I appreciate it. Talk to you soon."

Angela put the receiver back on the hook. She had to let her thoughts sink in. How she would've loved to share her joy with Tony right now, but he wasn't there. He was with his 'boys', that was what he used to call them, and not with her. Was her mother right? Was it only a matter of time until they would've drifted apart, until their love would be cooled down and their passion be extinguished? No, they had to fight against it! That was why she was determined not to let Tony's absence drag her down. She would surprise him with her sensational news in the afternoon. She would buy some champagne, get some treats from Mr. Drager's Delicatessen, she would lay the dinner table with love and would spend a wonderful evening with him. He had already planned some nice getaway for Sunday, and his ideas had always been great. They would be planning their trip to New York and she would finally have something to look forward to.

* * *

When Tony unlocked the door to their apartment, he had just completed a tough training session. The boys had all disappointed him a bit today. They hadn't exactly been delighted that he had scheduled a practice on a free Saturday morning. Usually, the youths liked to go to a bar or club on Friday nights and party until late. A few of them had planned to visit their families at home on the weekend. The coach had ruined all those plans with this short-termed special practice. They were ambitious just like him and enjoyed being so much more successful since coach Micelli had acceded his office. They weren't the bottom-placed team anymore but found themselves securely in the middle of the standings. The tough fitness training, the recurrent hitting practices and, above all, the long tactical briefings he was giving them, slowly came to fruition. His players enjoyed being able to learn from a former professional ball player, but once in a while they were annoyed by the unconditional will to win and incessant ambition of their coach. They were also looking for fun during their college years and weren't willing to sacrifice their entire free time to college baseball. They had made that clear today unequivocally and Tony had withdrawn from the soccer stadium peevishly and in a bad mood.

As soon as she heard the key in the lock, Angela jumped up from the couch and rushed to the door.

"Hi Honey!" she greeted him and flung her arms around his neck. There he was, finally! Now she would tell him about the upcoming award ceremony.

"Slowly, slowly!" he said, putting his sports bag on the floor. He kissed her on the cheek without much emotion. "Let me have a shower first", he murmured and vanished into the bathroom without another word.

Angela was in such a good mood that she let him go. It wasn't the first time that he came home from work a little grumpy. That had happened to her too back in Fairfield. In moments like these, she had always taken a relaxing bath, had given herself enough time to leave behind the troubles of the day, and had eventually taken the stairs down into the living room at ease and in a good mood to enjoy the end of her work day with Tony and the rest of the family. After a revitalising shower and some fresh clothes, he would give his attention to her and would react as enthusiastically to her news as she hoped he would.

Tony was back in the kitchen about fifteen minutes later. His hair was still wet, he had put on a pair of jeans and a fresh plain white T-Shirt. Angela smelled the cologne she loved so much on him. He took her in his arms, pulled her close, looked at her and asked, "Well, what did you do today?"

"I've got us a little something for dinner." She pointed to the kitchen counter where she had put the boxes from Mr. Drager's Delicatessen as well as a bottle of exclusive champagne Mr. Drager had to pull out of the rearmost corner of his wine cellar. The latter definitely belonged in the fridge, if she wanted it to be perfectly chilled at dinner time.

"Wow, Moet et Chandon? What are we celebrating?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, ..." She smiled at him whimsically.

"Are you going to tell me?"

Tony felt curiosity rise within him and only hoped that he hadn't forgotten another anniversary. It had never happened in Connecticut but here in Iowa he had missed the ninth anniversary of his inital move into Angela's house. She had tried to hide her disappointment but hadn't really succeeded - and he was startled that it could have slipped his mind. That particular day had always been very special to both of them and the eighth anniversary had been the starting day of their relationship as it was now. They had admitted they loved each other in the love tunnel of the Brooklyn fair they had gone to with the entire family plus Mrs. Rossini and Sam's peculiar college mate to celebrate the eight anniversary of Sam and him moving into the Bower household. He could've spanked himself for being so inconsiderate, for having neglected her that much, for focussing only on the preparations of the final exams of his students and the baseball play-offs and for forgetting their first anniversary as a couple. It was almost unforgivable. But it didn't seem to be an anniversary Angela had on her mind because she was beaming at him, no sign of disappointment whatsoever on her face. Then, finally, she eased Tony's tension with telling him about her big surprise.

"The Bower Agency is scheduled for the Outstanding Achievement Award for the campaign we conducted for the Philology Association. Remember? The campaign which should get teenagers back to reading books. The Advertising Association thinks it's groundbreaking and innovative. ... Oh Tony, I've been dreaming of this award for all my life - all my business life that is!" Her eyes were glowing and her entire body was radiant with excitement and joy. He hadn't seen her like this for a long time; so cheerful, so effervescent and elated, in such high spirits.

"That's wonderful! It was about time that these honorable old men acknowledged your talent. You deserve this, Angela! I'm proud of you."

Why could only her job make her smile like this? He had racked his brain about whether it had been too much to ask for her to move to Iowa more than once in the past weeks. He knew exactly how much she missed bustling New York, how difficult it was for her not to be involved in the daily business of her agency. Someone like she, who was used to having lunch at the fanciest restaurants, who loved going to Broadway shows or the ballet, who visited art exhibitions and enjoyed talking to colleagues about the newest trends in advertising, someone like this simply _had_ to feel cut off the rest of the world out here. He also knew that he didn't have enough time for her. He didn't do it on purpose; no, to the complete contrary, he loved her like no other woman since Marie and he would spend every minute of the day with her if he only could, but he had taken over the responsibility for his students and his team and he wanted to live up to the expectations others had pinned on him. Moreover, this job was giving him a sort of satisfaction he hadn't felt before - neither as Mrs. Rossini's fish truck driver or bartender, nor as Angela's housekeeper. This was his first proper job ... and he loved it!

"I still can't fully believe it, Tony!" Angela interrupted his musings, "we're going to have a wonderful time in New York. The award ceremony will take place in the Waldorf Astoria. I thought we could take a little suite so we don't have to drive all the way to Fairfield after the banquet but can go on celebrating in our room," she wrapped her arms around his waist and added lasciviously, "if you know what I mean, ..." After only a brief pause she carried on with her planning; she had been picturing the entire weekend in her mind all day, she already knew exactly what she wanted it to be like. "We can have a stroll through Central Park on Sunday, have a little something for lunch downtown and drop by the office for a short check before we fly back to Branford in the evening. It's going to be wonderful, just wonderful, Tony!"

Tony smiled. He was glad that she had something to look forward to, something which would keep her occupied for the next few weeks. She would need a new dress for the occasion, she would have to write an acceptance speech, she would have to plan things with her staff - to put it shortly ... she would have something to do! And Tony was really truly happy for her. He had accompanied and supported her throughout the last nine years of her career and had listened to more than one story about how hard she had to struggle at the beginning. He knew that her first marriage hadn't survived her professional ambitions and that she had quarreled many times with being a full-time working mom. She had earned this, it was the reward for her year-long hard work. It was only until Angela's next remark that he was utterly happy and relieved.

"It's only eight more weeks until the ceremony. Luckily, the baseball season will be over by then."

What? What did she say? Right after the end of the season? Tony's heart had almost come to a complete stop. No, that wasn't ... that just _couldn't_ be true!

"Uhm, when exactly?" He couldn't bring himself to say more.

"In June", Angela answered still completely clueless of what had already begun to loom around her.

"Are we talking about the weekend of the 25th to the 26th by any chance?" He almost didn't dare to ask and apprehended her answer.

Angela hadn't grasped yet that Tony had become somewhat reserved and tensed, she herself was much too enthusiastic about all this to be able to sense the negative vibrations in the room. Her antennas, which usually were quite sensitive to subliminal stimulus, were out of service at the moment.

"Yes, that's the one. Why do you ask?" She looked at him and slowly, very slowly, started to put two and two together when she saw how his face gradually turned to stone. "Now don't tell me that you've scheduled a hitting practice with your _boys,_" she spit the last word out, "on this very weekend."

"No, no hitting practice." He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. "I've booked a training camp with the Iowa Hawkeyes just this morning. The University of Iowa invited us to a friendly game with their baseball team."

"Then go ahead and postpone it!" she demanded.

"Postpone it? How am I supposed to postpone something like this? The flights have been booked, the hotel reservations have been made and the game against the Hawkeyes has been fixed. I can't postpone this."

"Since when do you make plans for the weekend without consulting with me first?" she asked. Had he missed the point? Had everything and everyone become more important than she in the meantime? Didn't he bother anymore to talk to her about such things as him being away in Iowa City for a weekend? Did his job justify everything? Angela was confused and distraught. Her emotion had changed from complete bliss to unexpected surprise and was slowly turning into disappointed anger.

"We had to decide fast this morning", Tony tried to defend himself, "and how the hell was I supposed to know you would be awarded that stupid prize right on this weekend?"

Had he just said 'stupid' prize? What had only gotten into him?

Angela stared at Tony in disbelief. He had really called it 'stupid', 'stupid prize'! This was by far the most important acknowledgement of her work she had ever been granted until this day and she would ever be granted if she went on baking apple pies and bowling strikes in Branford, Iowa. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, rather angry than sad tears though. Her pulse had climbed up to 150 beats, her hands were trembling and a sudden heat had appropriated her body. She felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under her feet. For months, she had been aligning her life completely to his. She had never complained when he was late, she had always listened when he spoke about his job. She had accompanied him to every dull school event and had allowed boring rednecks to tell her their even more boring personal life stories. Crying pubescent girls had been sitting on her couch, pouring her hearts out to Tony or making mooneyes at him, and hysterical mothers had begged for better grades for their kids ... also making mooneyes at him. She had tolerated all of this and now for once it was about her, about what _she_ wanted, about what was important to _her_. And he was putting his job at the top of the list! Did she really have to settle for ranking at the bottom of his list of priorities? Behind his team, behind his students, behind his college? Which was her ranking anyway? Four? Five? One thousand?

"You must be kidding!" was all Angela could utter. Never had she been angrier with Tony. She not only was fuming with anger, but was abysmally disappointed, and that was even worse. Never had he hurt her that much; she hadn't been aware he would ever be able to hurt her like this. She shook her head. No, she just couldn't talk about it now, his reaction had hit her too hard. The mere perception that Tony might prefer to be with his team on this special day instead of with her, felt like a stab into her heart and she wasn't able to cope with it at all. So she turned around, snatched the first garment she saw - a very thin pullover, tore open the apartment door and ran out. She had no idea where she wanted to go, she only wanted to get away from him as far and as fast as possible. The last time that happened to her had been in Fairfield, after that night she had unwillingly babbled out love confessions in her sleep. How long ago had that been? Three years? Four years? She had fled out of embarrassment then, she was fleeing out of desperation now.

Tony was too flabbergasted to react fast enough. If he had only gotten the chance to instantly apologize for having called the award 'stupid'. He hadn't meant it like that! If he had only been able to explain what an honor it was to be invited by the almighty University of Iowa for a friendly game against their famous and outstandingly successful Hawkeyes. Until then, Wells College's baseball teams had just been too weak and bush-leagued to ever get noticed by prominent teams such as the Iowa Hawkeyes. If he had only been able to tell her how sorry he was to miss a romantic weekend with her in New York. Well ... if! Maybe he would've been able to set things right, maybe she would've listened to him, maybe they would've reconciled ... and maybe then they would've been spared the downward spiral their relationship had taken just this very moment.

Maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Angela had run from the apartment, stumbled down the stairs and through the entrance door of the apartment building. She had been wandering around the little village and had eventually sat down on a bench at the parking lot of the local supermarket. Hours had passed since she had left the apartment. It had become dark in the meanwhile - the supermarket had closed and the parking lot was deserted. She had been crying at first, and at some point that crying had turned into a silent sobbing. Eventually she was just sitting there, motionless and petrified, staring into the void with tear-stained eyes. The pain and the disappointment over Tony's reaction numbed her so much that she didn't realize she was freezing cold and shivering.

"Ma'am, is everything alright?" a voice asked all of a sudden.

She lifted her head and stared into a young man's face which looked vaguely familiar to her.

"Oh, Mrs. Bower, it's you! Has something happened? Why are you sitting here in the dark in this freezing cold? You're trembling all over." He pulled off his jacket and laid it around her shoulders. It was one of the jackets for Tony's baseball team. Angela suddenly realized who that young man was, when he took a seat beside her on that bench.

"Call me Angela. You're Timothy, right? You're on Tony's baseball team", she asked cautiously.

He had been sitting at their kitchen table once, she remembered. Tony had quite earnestly told him to work harder both in his history as well as his literature class, otherwise he would be barred from the team. He was one of the students who had come to Wells College with a sports scholarship because he had an extraordinary talent the college liked to deck itself with. But even such students had to perform well in class; playing baseball like a pro wasn't sufficient to get a degree.

"Yes, Mrs. Bower, uhm, Angela." He felt a bit awkward calling her by her first name, since she was his teacher's fiancée, but also fond of being allowed to address her so casually. "I showed up at your place after I had really messed up the last history exam." He grinned roguishly.

Timothy was a good-looking young man; tall, broad shoulders, rugged features with bright blue eyes. He glanced at her with a flawless smile. He remembered her quite well. She had greeted him shortly and slightly embarrassed after having rushed into the kitchen unsuspectingly with a "Are you in here, Darling?" on her lips. Tony had been lecturing him about the necessity of good grades and had tried to talk him into a tutoring program, but Timothy had only been staring at Angela. She had taken a drink out of the fridge and had shown him a friendly and sympathetic smile upon leaving the kitchen; she knew Tony could be a demanding and strict teacher. After being alone with his coach once again, he had been struggling to pay any attention to him at all.

"Do you want me to escort you home?" he asked, but Angela only shook her head. "But you can't stay out here, Mrs. Bow-, sorry, Angela. You'll freeze to death." Timothy still had to bring himself to calling her Angela for she demanded respect and devotion in his eyes. He gathered all of his courage for the next question he had on the tip of his tongue. "May I buy you a cup of coffee then? There's a little diner right around the corner. You could warm up in there."

Angela hesitated. Should she really have a cup of coffee with one of Tony's students? But she didn't know where else to go and she was well aware that she couldn't remain sitting on this bench forever. Well, what of it! He wasn't a child anymore but a senior college student, so she eventually nodded in approval.

"Why not? I'm really a bit cold." She had only grabbed a thin pullover on her escape out of their apartment which didn't warm her at all. She had been sitting on that bench for a long time; for how long she didn't know. Timothy's jacket gave her a bit of warmth, but she was chilled to the bone and terribly cold. She got up from the bench, hesitated once more, then she said, "Let's go!"

They walked a few steps beside each other up to the next corner, then Timothy led the way, opened the door for Angela and they entered Marjorie's Diner. They sat at one of the tables, it wasn't very busy. Timothy ordered two coffees at the counter and put them on the table. Angela was absent-minded and stirred a lot of sugar into her cup, although she usually drank her coffee without sugar. She still didn't fully comprehend why the evening had gotten so out of hand. Since when was Tony so insensitive? She longed for the Tony who used to care for her, who could read her wishes in her eyes, and whose mission seemed to be to make her life easy. 'Isn't that a bit selfish, Angela?' went through her mind. 'You aren't the center of the universe, Tony has every right to pursue his own career.' Besides, it was she who had pushed him to even have a look at this job opportunity in the first place. And it had been her own decision to come to Iowa to be with him as well. It was difficult to admit to herself that this kind of life, the life of a housewife, simply wasn't for her. Actually, she should've known better. Michael had tried to make a 'Mrs. Michael Bower' out of her, a housewife and mother, a woman who would take every load from him for his very own professional ambitions and build the cozy nest he could let fall himself into after one of his strenuous trips. But her aspirations had always been higher than being a mere decoration on her husband's arm - and that hadn't changed a bit since then. She wanted to be more than just the baseball coach's spouse, even if she idolized this particular baseball coach. 'Why only can't I live without my job?' she asked herself and sighed heavily.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Timothy asked daringly. He had observed Angela and had noticed that she was haunted by preying worries. Her facial features and demeanor expressed a great deal of helplessness and sadness. His heart jumped into his throat for she was significantly older than him and moreover she was his coach's fiancée.

But Angela only shook her head. Never in her life would she tell one of Tony's students anything about her private life. She wouldn't tell anybody, not even her mother. She wasn't very good at confiding in other people about her worries and hardships. She always wanted to handle everything on her own; she needed to be strong and invulnerable. But this was a friendly, polite and courteous young man who didn't deserve that she remain quiet and ignore him.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?" she asked.

"My roommate has a lady visitor", he replied with a knowing grin, "therefore I had to make myself scarce. I like walking around the city. I'm from Minnesota but applied for a place at the local universities in vain ... I'm not really a gifted student." He shrugged. "The sports scholarship brought me to Branford. It's a pleasant spot, I like it. You aren't from this area either, are you?"

Angela laughed slightly. "No, I grew up at the East coast."

"The East coast is long."

"New England."

"I'm not that bad at geography, Angela." It came more naturally to him now to call her by her first name. "There's more than just one New England state ..." He wanted to start a conversation with her, but she was so reserved.

"Connecticut." It seemed to her that Connecticut wasn't only a different state, but a different country. A different universe almost.

"It's supposed to be nice there, I've heard. I've never been there, never left Minnesota before coming to Iowa." He took a sip of coffee.

"Yes, it's very nice. The metropolitan cities along the coast are terrific. I _love_ New York." Angela also had some coffee and frowned after having swallowed. Why did this coffee taste so terribly sweet?

"You came here with Coach Micelli, didn't you?" He strongly hoped that he hadn't overstepped a boundary but he couldn't think of any other topic, and he simply wanted to know.

Angela only nodded.

"And don't you like it out here?"

"What makes you think I don't like it out here?"

"I don't know ... you look so gloomy. And your eyes were glowing when you talked about New York." It hadn't gone unnoticed by him that thinking about New York and Connecticut had lifted her spirits a bit. He didn't know it of course - but it had been the recollection of the happier times that had eased her momentary sorrow, the times when things between Tony and her had been uncomplicated and just blissful.

The conversation manoeuvred Angela's thoughts in a direction which made her uneasy. She didn't want to talk about herself and most definitely not about her argument with Tony, so she tried to change the subject. "Which position are you playing, Timothy?"

"Second Base."

"Oh, that was Tony's position." Angela didn't know that much about baseball but she most certainly knew Tony's position as a pro with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Yes, I know", Timothy answered shortly.

"I bet he gives you a hard time", she said and threw him a knowing glance. "He expects a lot from somebody who plays his position, I suppose."

"You know him well."

"Oh yes, I know him very well actually."

Again, Angela couldn't suppress a heavy sigh and took another sip of this much too sweet coffee. It warmed her body a bit at least, even if it tasted terrible. It didn't thaw her heart though; she shivered thinking about her ugly fight with Tony.

Timothy noticed that he had hit a sore spot. He would have liked to inquire even more why she was so downcast. Did the coach have anything to do with her sitting on a bench in the supermarket parking lot at night? But he didn't dare to probe. She might feel cornered by him and for all the world he wanted to prevent her standing up and leaving. He enjoyed the presence of this remarkable woman too much. He had to come up with something; a neutral but still personal question. He didn't want to do small-talk but to get acquainted with her.

"For how long have you known Coach Micelli?"

"Nine years." Angela didn't say any more. What crazy nine years that had been! One could write a whole book about it.

"Wow!" Timothy was truly impressed. "Then you've left the seventh year itch already behind you." He knew that they weren't married. The coach always talked about his fiancée when he mentioned her. In addition, her name was Bower and his Micelli, although this didn't necessarily have any particular meaning nowadays. Timothy asked himself what the reason might be for them not being married yet after such a long time. That this reason was the fact that she had been his boss for eight years didn't come to his mind of course.

Angela remained silent once again. How had they come back to her relationship with Tony again? What did this young man want from her? Why wasn't he hanging out with his friends in some bar, it was a Saturday night after all, but was sitting here with her and asked her all these intimate questions?

"You don't really fit into this environment here", Timothy now stated.

"What makes you believe that?"

Angela was surprised. He was right, she felt out of place once in a while. She didn't really like the music they were listening to here, she didn't know what to talk about with these people, and she couldn't always laugh about their jokes. But that it was so obvious for an outsider left her puzzled. She was a master at hiding her feelings from others and throughout her years as an executive she had learned to keep her private worries to herself. It daunted her that a college student who barely knew her had obviously been able to see them now. Timothy seemed to be an empathetic and sensitive young man.

"I'm not really sure whether this is the right place for me", slipped out of her mouth and she was aghast at it. She put her hands in front of her face, then she covered her mouth, as if she could take back in what had just had popped out of it. How could she have made such a confession in front of Timothy? She had never done something like this! Why did she allow him to look that deeply into her soul? She definitely had to get out of this diner, before she poured out her entire heart to him.

She stood up abruptly, before Timothy was able to say anything or further invade her mixed-up emotions, and said, "Uhm, Timothy, I think I should be going." She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. "It's been a rough day." She pulled off his jacket and held it out to him. "Here's your jacket, thank you!"

"You can't go outside without a jacket, Angela, it's much too cold. I'll go with you, you can leave it on then."

Angela wasn't sure whether this was such a good idea. He had something about him that inspired confidence and he seemed to be a lot more mature and adult than his peers. She didn't want to tell him any more about herself under any circumstances but she appreciated his willingness to help and his good manners ... and she shivered thinking about going outdoors without a jacket.

"Alright", she said eventually and slipped on his jacket once more. Timothy left a five dollar bill on the table, yielded to Angela and placed his hand as gently as possible on her back to guide her to the door. His touch was ever so careful, for Angela didn't even feel it, but Timothy's hand burned like fire.

They were walking beside each other through the streets of Branford, neither of them saying a word, when suddenly a black Jeep came to a halt a few feet ahead of them. The driver's door opened and Tony got out of the car.

"Angela! Where have you been? I was worried about you." He approached them and one could read from his face how relieved he was to have finally found her. "I've been driving around here for I don't know how long, looking for you." Only now he recognized Timothy, one of his most talented ball players but by far laziest students. "Timothy?"

"Good evening, Coach. I accidentally ran into your fiancée and because it was so cold I gave her my jacket." Timothy felt uneasy from one second to the next. A moment ago he felt like the master of the situation, now, in the presence of his teacher, he felt like a little schoolboy.

"Thanks, that was very kind of you." Tony took the jacket from Angela's shoulders and gave it back to Timothy. Then he pulled off his own and laid it around her in a gesture which seemed possessive to Timothy but in reality only expressed Tony's loving care for Angela. "Come on, Angela, get into the car. Let's drive home. Can we give you a ride, Timothy?"

"No thanks, Coach. I'd rather walk", he refused while slipping on his jacket. It was still warm and smelled heavenly! Of her!

Timothy observed the two. He had seen them together a few times. She used to come to their home games and cheered them on. Once in a while she picked him up after a practice or said goodbye at the bus before a trip to an away game. The coach and his fiancée had always looked very much in love on such occasions. One could see how much she enjoyed being with him, neither could the coach hide his pride that she belonged to him. But today, Timothy perceived things differently, today the atmosphere between them was freezing and it didn't have anything to do with the chilly wind which was blowing through Branford at the moment. Something had happened between them, something which had driven her to that bench of the supermarket's parking lot.

Tony put his arm around Angela's shoulders and tried to lead her to the car, but she turned around to Timothy. "Thank you very much for your jacket, Timothy. That was very kind of you. Thanks for the coffee, too. I hope you can return to your room now." She blinked and smiled at him gratefully.

"My pleasure, Angela."

"Have a nice evening, Timothy." With these words she again turned around and got into the car. Only seconds later they were gone.

Timothy remained standing there without moving, looking in the direction the black Jeep had vanished.

What a woman!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After a short car ride - distances were rather short in Branford - Tony closed the door to their apartment behind Angela.

"Angela, we have to talk!" he began.

"Everything has been said, Tony! Your team is at the top of your list and I'm ranking somewhere further down. I understand! At least now I know where I'm standing." She paused for a short moment, then continued; she wasn't done yet. "This is by far the most important acknowledgement I've ever received for my work, and I assure you one thing ... I won't be watching a third-class college baseball game instead!"

Now it was Tony who stared at her aghast. Had he hurt her that much for her to throw him something as mean as this into his face? Well, she was right for sure, they were only a mediocre team, but the way she had said it, with so much bitterness and anger, made his blood run cold.

"Angela, ... please." He struck a conciliatory tone. She had turned her back towards him in the meanwhile, but her shaking shoulders showed him that she had begun to cry. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. Tears were running down her cheeks, disappointment and cluelessness were written all over her face.

"Oh Tony, what's happening with us? We have never spoken to each other like this. Never! In all these years." She shook her head and looked at him questioningly.

She was right. Their life together gradually took a turn that he wouldn't have thought possible. Did it feel like this when you were steadily growing apart? When the once beloved partner slowly became less important to you? When love turned into simple affection and at some point even into indifference? No, that couldn't be happening! It had taken them seven long years to find a way to each other, now it couldn't be over within only a year.

"I don't know, Angela."

That wasn't exactly right. Tony was well aware that he had neglected her lately. Not because he didn't love her anymore, but because he felt the responsibility for his job weighing heavily on his shoulders as never before in his life. His previous jobs hadn't had any impact on other people's lives, at least not directly. Now these young students were sitting in front of him in his class, they needed to be formed and be brought on the right track in life, they entrusted themselves to him, and he was able to crucially influence their personal developments. How was he supposed to unwind on the weekend and pursue his private enjoyment, as tempting as this might be? He just wasn't able to say no to Professor Graham, being asked whether he would have a look at a promising, talented young scholar, for whom a sports scholarship at Wells College could be an exit out of a difficult situation at home. How could he go out on a date with Angela with a clean conscience, having the feeling of abandoning a young man at the same time?

The problem was that Angela hadn't anything to do out here. Had she been busy in her job during the week, her expectations for their weekend together would've been less excessive. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single task in this rural village which slightly met Angela's skills. He couldn't seriously suggest to organize the annual charity gala or become the secretary of the college fraternity. This woman had established and led one of the most successful advertising agencies of the country, she would hardly be satisfied with answering telephone calls or organizing school events. But he also didn't want her to go back to Fairfield. He loved to have her at his side. He loved to wake up having her in his bed beside him, he loved to come home to her in the evening, and he loved their nights, which exceeded by far what he had ever imagined in his wildest fantasies. He knew he was being selfish, that not only his needs mattered, that an unhappy woman at his side would make him unhappy soon enough.

Why wasn't she like other women? _Normal _women? Women who cared for the household while their husbands earned the bread. 'Tony', he chided himself, 'what kind of a crazy thought is this? She is who she is, and you love her just for who she is!' He didn't want to change her; she was exceptional, gorgeous, wonderful, and he loved every single detail about her. But that didn't resolve their dilemma. Angela was dissatisfied and much worse ... she was miserable.

* * *

They had reconciled this evening and had embraced each other, but the atmosphere between them remained a bit tense. They had gone to bed together but hadn't slept cuddled up but with their backs turned to one another, both staring into the darkness. Tony had noticed that Angela had broken into a silent cry, although she had made every effort to prevent just this. He would've liked to take her into his arms, to kiss away the tears from her cheeks, but he didn't dare to make the first step for a fear of rejection. Had he only known that Angela would've gladly let him comfort her, that she only wanted to hear from him that they would make it, that everything would be alright, then he would've brushed his inhibitions aside and flung his arms around her delicate body. But it wasn't to be, so eventually both fell asleep being exhausted, having the disconcerting feeling that something was horribly wrong between them.

The following Sunday was a bleak one. Tony had planned to take Angela to the neighboring village as their weekend getaway. They had a drive-in movie theater there, featuring a Billy-Wilder-marathon. Both of them loved these old black-and-white movies, and they even had "Some Like it Hot" on this weekend, a movie they had seen a dozen times already, but were able to laugh about over and over again. He had wanted to fill the picnic basket with a few special treats, a bottle of good red wine and some home-baked chocolate cookies. A blanket and some pillows had already been stowed in the trunk and the hand brake had been checked. A drive-in movie theater was a romantic place after all, and Tony had hoped they would lose interest in the movie eventually and rather devote themselves to each other. He remembered their first night as a couple. On their desperate attempt to find some intimate togetherness their way had ended up at the shore of a pond in Angela's Jaguar. They had been making out so wildly that the hand brake had come loose eventually and they had been rolling into the pond. That had marked the end of their romantic evening and they had spend their first night of love only here in Iowa. Tony had made sure that the malfunction of a hand brake wouldn't mess up another passionate moment between them.

Well, no need for a reliable hand brake this weekend; all of his plans were obsolete. They spent the early afternoon more or less close-mouthed in the apartment. They only talked about the bare necessities at the breakfast table, then Tony sat down at the larger table at the living room, starting to mark the history exams of one of his classes - something he usually never did on a weekend. He was annoyed by the poor performances of some of his students, which further worsened his mood. Angela was cleaning the kitchen in the meantime, then she sat down at the little corner bench and stared outside. The weather was nice, it was a beautiful April day. The sun slowly worked its way through the scattered clouds and warmed the first spring flowers which had already peeked through the soil after a long winter. After having moped around until midday, being unable to think straight, she decided to go into the living room to talk to Tony. But then she saw him hunched over the history exams, not even noticing her when she entered the living room, so she took one of her books and made herself comfortable on the sofa. But she wasn't able to focus on the words, she only stared on the pages until the letters were blurring in front of her eyes. At some point, the first tear fell onto the page, the the second, and then she couldn't contain herself any more. She started sobbing and was emotionally so upset that her shoulders were trembling.

Tony looked up and glanced at her. He was hit to the core by the way Angela was sitting there; she was a picture of misery with her head hung, her shoulders sloped, being all in tears. He had rarely seen her like this. This time he couldn't help but take her into his arms.

"Angela, Darling", he said while sitting down beside her on the sofa, "don't cry!" She looked at him and he startled about the fear he could see in her eyes. He cupped her face with both hands, brushed away the tears with his thumbs and told her with a warm voice, "I love you, and I'm sorry that I hurt you that much. Your award isn't stupid at all, I am! There's nothing in the world I would rather do but go to New York with you and watch you receive your award. Unfortunately, I can't even though I would love to. We're going to New York some other time, okay? We'll make up for everything we miss, like the stroll through Central Park, the lunch downtown and ...", he hesitated shortly, "and the night at a cute little hotel. I promise! But please, please stop crying."

Tony took the tissue box from the little table beside the sofa where they also put the phone and handed it to Angela. She took a tissue, dried her tears, took another, and blew her nose. Then she took a deep breath, turned towards him and looked at him with red, puffy eyes.

"I love you too, Tony. More than anything in the world. I guess that's why it hurts so much that you prefer to take your team to these stupid Hawkeyes."

"Aaaangela, ...", Tony said in an admonitory tone, "they aren't stupid, and I _don't_ prefer to be there to being with you."

"I know, I know", she smiled slightly, "I only wanted to say 'stupid' too, Tony. It felt like a stab into my heart when you said it. It hurt so much. To get even, I called your team third-class I guess, I'm sorry. You're not third-class, even less so since you're the coach. Sooner or later you're going to play for the championships, I'm absolutely sure about that."

There she was again, the Angela who supported him, the Angela who motivated him, the Angela who believed in him - the Angela he loved so much!

"You are really my most loyal fan, Angela! Thank you!" He turned towards her, now they were sitting opposite each other on the couch. He cupped her face, looked at her earnestly, and asked a little insecure, "What do you say, shall we make up?" When she nodded, he leaned in, closed his eyes and kissed her lips ever so gently. They were a bit snotty, for her nose had been running while she had cried, but he didn't care. Her lips were warm and soft, her kiss tasted sweet and was like a balm on his chipped soul. He took her in his arms and Angela laid her head on his shoulder. They were sitting like this for long time, both enjoying the proximity of the other, Tony stroking Angela's hair absent-mindedly. As both were exhausted after a sleepless night and the preceding day with its ugly fight, their eyes were sinking inevitably. They slept until the early afternoon, Angela being in Tony's arms on the sofa. Both were relieved that they were able to look into each other's eyes again.

In conclusion of the weekend, they decided to take a walk through the fields outside Branford. They were holding hands and didn't talk much at the beginning, they were only enjoying the April sun setting slowly, sending the last warm rays of the day down to earth.

Suddenly Tony broke the silence. "Angela, you won't believe how little students know nowadays about history." He shook his head. "And obviously they aren't interested in it one bit either. I've started to mark the last history test; it's almost intolerable what you get to read as a professor ... and Timothy outdid himself once again! The young lad who gave you his jacket last night. Remember?"

"Of course I remember! He helped me out very kindly. He's a polite young man."

"And the way he plays baseball takes your breath away. If he goes on like this, he'll be a very successful professional ballplayer one day. But if he turns in one more screwed up exam, either in history or literature, I'll have to bar him from the team, at least temporarily.

"Don't be so strict with him", Angela asked him. "He's such a nice guy." She liked him and was thankful that he hadn't left her all alone on that bench.

"I have to be strict, Angela! This boy reminds me a lot of myself. They also told as me that I had a bright future ahead of me as a ballplayer and I believed them so much that I neglected my education. I left college without a degree only to start playing for the Major League as soon as possible. But a career as a ballplayer is an insecure thing, I had to learn the hard way. After my shoulder injury my career was over from one day to the next and I had nothing - no degree, no job. To provide for my family I had to drive Mrs. Rossini's fish truck." He paused for a short moment. It had been a difficult time. He had been young and newlywed, Sam had just been born, his wife had already been seriously sick and he only had a temporary odd job which had hardly flushed enough money into the family funds to pay for the rent and the groceries. "I want to save this kids from what I had to go through, Angela! None of my boys will leave this college without a degree ... not even Timothy."

"You're a good teacher. I knew why I pushed you to go to college and choose teaching as a major." Angela squeezed his hand and cast him a smile.

"And I will be always grateful for that, Angela. But not all of these boys will be as lucky as I was to meet a woman like you." He paused and pulled her close. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, Angela's filled with tears, but before they could fall, they shared a long and intimate kiss. Both were pleased about being able to talk to each other again, that everything between them was like it used to be.

But was it really?

* * *

The following days were rather uneventful. They found themselves back in their daily grind soon enough. Tony went to work early in the morning, Angela did all the necessary chores around the apartment and tried to pass the rest of the day somehow. Luckily, the last box of books had arrived from Fairfield with some of her most favorite novels. She knew them all by heart but she could delve into them over and over again. In the late afternoon, she would begin to think about what to cook for dinner and count the minutes until Tony would be home. The atmosphere between them was back to normal, they were relaxed and enjoyed their time together.

Tony was always deadly exhausted when he came home. They were facing the final exams at college and he had to prepare his students, especially the weaker ones. After class, he often took the time to explain them once more what they had been talking about before, or he compiled a literature list with further reading suggestions. Moreover, the baseball season drew to a close and the last games were decisive for their final position in the college league's standings. They still had the chance to move up to the higher division, and that had been Tony's defined goal from the start. Although he didn't schedule any time-consuming endurance trainings any more - that would've had a contra-productive effect - he took more time to focus on the right tactic for the upcoming games and practised a lot of special moves with them. Altogether, Tony's days started early and ended late. They were energy-sapping, and so tiredness sometimes overpowered him in the evening and made him fall asleep on the sofa even before Angela had finished to clear the kitchen from the dinner's remains.

This evening wasn't any different. Angela had prepared a meat loaf with vegetables and mashed potatoes which had come off surprisingly well. Along with it, she had served Tony a beer. Usually, they had a glass of wine in the evening, therefore he was astonished when she put a perfectly poured glass of beer in front of him, with a nice head. Even more astonished, rather appalled he was, as Angela herself tossed down a beer. When she put the glass to her lips, he almost choked.

"Is there a major football game on tonight and I forgot all about it?" he asked.

"What makes you think that?" Angela answered as if she didn't have the slightest inkling why he was staring at her with saucer eyes.

"Well, you're drinking beer ... I thought you don't like that bitter stuff, and for years you used to say that beer belongs into a football stadium and not on the dinner table if I remember it correctly", he explained his astonishment.

She hadn't told him that she had her beer blended with a lot of lemonade. It looked like beer but didn't taste like it. It even wasn't so bad after all, it was refreshing and went along perfectly with the meat loaf.

Angela only grinned. "That seems to be an aspect of me you don't know yet!" She lifted her eyebrows.

Tony eyed her up while she looked at him challengingly. "Ooookay, then tell me ... are there any more aspects of you I don't know yet? Aspects worth discovering?"

"Wellllll, maybe you have to go on searching ... " She left that invitation hanging in the air just like this.

"Ey oh, oh ey. I guess I better come up with a search strategy I can put into operation straight away", he answered with a knowing look, and Angela's heart began to pound faster upon this alluring prospect. Would he seduce her tonight once again? By every trick in the book? Like he hadn't done in quite a while? Would they make love as long and as passionately until such time as they fell asleep exhausted, their arms and legs intertwined as if the laws of nature concerning the flexibility of the human skeleton were suspended? Would he show her finally again with actions and not only with words how much he loved her?

She sighed happily. "Let me just take the remnants of the food into the kitchen, then I'm all yours!" She stood up, picked up their plates, leaned down to him and pressed a lustful kiss on his mouth. "Mmmm, yummy, beer!" she said mischievously, turned around and left for the kitchen.

Tony made himself comfortable on the couch. It was much smaller than the one in Fairfield but it had exactly the right size for two adults to snuggle up to each other, which they had done several times. Tony felt his arousal. The way she had just been looking at him before turning around and entering the kitchen. This woman was so sexy, even in worn-out jeans and a baggy sweater! It had been a few days that they had last made love, too many days! If he only wasn't so damn exhausted and worn-out; his muscles were sore from today's weight training. He wanted to be a good example for his athletes, so he struggled through each and every training session together with his boys - even if all of them were about twenty years younger than him and able to take the efforts significantly better. 'I lay my head back on the rest only for a short moment. Just a second. And when Angela is through with the kitchen, I'm going to fool around with her! Hmmm ...'

He shouldn't have done so! The back of his head hadn't completely touched the rest yet, and his eyes had already been sinking. When Angela entered the living room about fifteen minutes later, he was fast asleep, his arms folded in front of his chest. She froze abruptly upon seeing him like this. Of course she was disappointed, she had imagined this evening to be very different, but she also had to chuckle. He looked like a small boy taking an afternoon nap. She knew his days were long and strenuous, and that he hadn't fallen asleep out of carelessness to her but out of sheer exhaustion. Still ... which were the joys in life that remained for her? Neither her job, her family or friends - she had left them all behind in Fairfield, but nor Tony, who was indeed present but then again somehow not really there.

* * *

When Angela woke up the next morning, she heard the clattering of dishes in the kitchen. Was Tony preparing breakfast? On a Thursday? Usually, he would only have a quick bite, drink a hasty sip of coffee and then went off to work. She got out of bed, slipped her nightgown on and made her way to join him.

"Good morning", she said somewhat surprised, standing in the door frame and not believing her eyes. The table was nicely laid, Tony had squeezed some orange juice, there was a basket full of toasted bread and an omelette sizzling in a frying pan on the stove. "What's going on here?"

Tony swung around upon hearing her voice and looked at her with puppy eyes. "Good morning, Love." He approached and hugged her. "I'm so sorry about last night, that I fell asleep on the couch. Actually, I had planned to discover those hidden aspects of yours", he said both guiltily and inconsolably.

"Well, Tony, now those remain in the dark for you unfortunately." Although Angela still regretted the missed chance for a night of love, she wasn't angry with him. "How come you have enough time for a real breakfast today?"

"I cancelled my attendance at our weekly Thursday morning jour fixe ... due to private obligations." He winked at her. "Our evening ended so abruptly yesterday, so I wanted to spend some time with you this morning at least. Even if it doesn't compensate at all for what I had in mind for us last night." He gave her a tender kiss on the mouth.

"How sweet of you." She answered his kiss equally lovingly and affectionately. "Your omelette's going to get scorched I'm afraid."

"Ooops", Tony exclaimed while having a look at the stove. "Have a seat, Angela. We have about an hour together. Not much, but better than nothing."

* * *

Angela always went to Branford's little farmers' market on Thursdays. Tony had a long training session every Thursday which used to last until late in the afternoon. This gave her enough time to saunter about the town square, buy some fresh groceries, carry her purchases home, and eventually start cooking. Angela loved that little market. Farmers from Branford and its surroundings sold regional and fresh produce. One could get all sorts of vegetables, fruit in abundance, and newly laid eggs. A dairy farmer offered his homemade products - cheese, sour cream, yogurt and fresh full-cream milk. There was a cattle farmer from the neighboring village who sold such superb steaks any starred chef would be panting for.

As on every Thursday, Angela had her shopper basket crammed with goods and she was now standing in front of a stand with wonderful flowers. How about she brought Tony a nice bouquet for a change? Not pink roses, no, that was his turf, but a nice bouquet with beautiful tulips, gladiolas, and daffodils wasn't such a bad idea, flowers which augured spring. She was just reflecting upon how she would manage to get all her purchases home, as she was already heavily laden, when a voice asked her from behind, "Shall I help you carrying all of this home, Angela?"

She turned around and looked into Timothy's bright blue eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Timothy", Angela was surprised, "what are you doing here? Why aren't you at practice?"

She hadn't expected to run into one of Tony's players, knowing that the long Thursday afternoon training session was scheduled for the same time, followed by an extensive tactical briefing. Tony rarely made it home before 6:30 on these evenings. How come that Timothy, one of his best players, was sauntering about on this farmers' market among all these housewives?

"Didn't the Coach tell you? He kicked me out of the team. My last literature exam was a downright F!" Timothy only shrugged his shoulders. "Jane Austen ... who reads this stuff?"

With this, Timothy had come to the wrong person of course; Angela loved Jane Austen, had read all of her novels dozens of times and had always immersed herself in the captivating, romantic world her most favorite author was able to create.

"Jane Austen? You don't like Jane Austen? She's one of the most extraordinary writers I can think of. Maybe someone has to read you one of her stories properly, thereby making you feel what a wonderful storyteller she is", Angela raved. 'You could read out the instruction leaflet to my TV set and I would still think it's wonderful', went through Timothy's mind.

He didn't say that aloud of course, and he didn't tell her either that he had very deliberately failed that literature exam. He knew that the Coach would bar him from the team. He loved to play baseball but the prospect of being able to catch Angela while her long-term fiancé spent hours on a baseball field was far too alluring. He knew that she went to the market on Thursdays and had waited for her in front of their apartment, hidden in a back alley. When she had stepped out of the building it had taken his breath away. She looked so good! She wore a tight jeans and a short beige wool coat with a matching hat. The weather in Iowa could still be quite chilly at the end of April, and on this day a brisk wind was blowing through the streets of Branford, which disheveled her shoulder-length blond hair. She carried a shopper basket in her right hand and seemed to be in the best of moods.

Timothy had never come to terms with the girls of his age. They were simply silly, they were giggling all the time and they were so insecure about the male sex that they were rather unnerving than attractive in his eyes. Years ago, he had been afraid that he was gay, when his friends started holding hands with their girlfriends and eventually bragged about how they had dragged them to bed. He knew that most of their stories were exaggerated and rather wishful thinking than the truth, but the perception of taking a giggling seventeen-year old to bed hadn't turned him on at all. Then one day he had realized that among the elder female students there were indeed some who stirred his blood. They didn't have a pimply skin or braces, they knew how to discreetly apply make-up and were familiar with the rituals of dating. He bet they also knew how to make a man happy in bed. But sure enough, they only looked down on him, on the lower grade teenager. That hadn't changed until he began to engage more excessively in sports, doing a lot of weight-lifting and running. His physique had changed, his shoulders had become broader, his chest more muscular. He had been more self-confident and bolder, and all of a sudden there had been more female admirers than he could handle.

But _this_ woman was something totally different; she was in a league by herself. She was a lady, she had class, was sophisticated, mature, self-sufficient, stunningly beautiful and so damn sexy. Every time she had picked up the Coach after their training and had kissed him gently on the cheek, Timothy's stomach had convulsed. Bit by bit, Angela had turned into a secret and insatiable yearning, and then, one night, he had found her on that bench of the supermarket's parking lot all alone - what a stroke of fate! He kept on asking himself what had disturbed her that much that night. Had the Coach alienated her with this coarse manner of his he showed once in a while? Possible. He was this type of man women easily fall for, Timothy could imagine, with his Italian macho behavior and good looks. He was fit and had a well-toned body for his age. Just like Timothy himself, but he was young! In his early twenties, in his last year at college. And this woman had turned his head.

"I think it would be foolish to turn down your offer. As always, I've bought too much, and now I don't know how to get all this stuff home. Just let me buy some of these beautiful flowers, then we'll go. We can have a cup of coffee at our place and talk a bit about Jane Austen, what do you say? Angela smiled at him invitingly.

Timothy nodded in approval. "I'd be glad to!" He took the overflowing shopper basket from her and brushed her hand as if by accident. 'How warm and soft this hand is!' he noted. Angela didn't realize any of this. She just appreciated that he carried her heavy basket, and the prospect of schmoozing a bit about Jane Austen cheered her up even more.

* * *

As soon as they had reached the apartment, Angela maneuvered Timothy into the kitchen which he already knew because he had been sitting there with Tony on his first attendance at this place.

"Put the basket on the table, Timothy. Thanks a lot! I don't know what I would've done without you!"

"Any time, Angela." By this time, he didn't have any difficulties calling her by her first name; quite to the contrary, it created a closeness he would be too pleased to deepen furthermore. But he had to be cautious. After all, she was in a relationship with another man, in a long - very long - relationship, they were even engaged. The fact that they weren't married yet gave him hope though. If they were so much in love for such a long time, there had to be something standing in their way to the altar. He couldn't come up with a convincing idea what it might be but he would find out, he was sure about that, for this might be the entrance into her heart.

"What do you prefer? Coffee or tea?" Angela asked and pulled the young man out of his thoughts.

"Coffee is fine", he replied. Coffee was more 'grown-up' than tea.

Angela switched on the coffee machine, the telephone rang at the same time. She excused herself, then lifted the receiver of the kitchen phone and motioned Timothy to sit down at the corner bench.

"Hello?" Angela answered the phone. "Jack? You? What's up? Is there a problem?"

Timothy acted as if he was looking out of the window disinterestedly but instead he listened closely to what she talked about with the unknown caller. It sounded very business-like and it seemed as if the caller asked for her advice, as if it was she who decided things.

"Jack, let me talk to Mr. Goldstein. I have his number and will call him later. A contract is a contract. We'll be happy to fine-tune his campaign a bit, but if he wants an entirely new concept, he has to pay for it. I will make him understand, leave it to me. I'll call you later. Bye."

With this, she put the receiver back, went over to the coffee machine and poured two mugs, then she sat opposite Timothy. "Milk? Sugar?"

"No thanks. I like my coffee black and strong." Masculine. Mature.

"Okay, I hope it's strong enough then", Angela said, putting her lips to the mug.

"Perfect", Timothy assured her, then he asked her about the telephone call. "I didn't want to eavesdrop but that sounded quite serious."

"That? Oh no, just the usual quarrels with clients. They always try to get more than what they have paid for", Angela played down the issue. She would put Mr. Goldstein in his place. She was experienced enough to know how to handle clients so hat they didn't take her for a fool on the one hand, but neither transferred to another agency on the other. Angela had told Jack, one of her vice presidents, he could call her any time in case of an emergency; and Mr. Goldstein was an emergency. He had contracted out an account worth several millions of dollars, and they had already developed a few very successful campaigns for his little motel chain. The agency had to keep this account under all circumstances, and it would. She would take care for it; in fact, she still was the president.

"What sort of clients do you have?" Timothy was curious. So, she was a working woman and not a housewife, he hadn't know until now. It made her even more attractive.

"Advertising clients."

"You're working in an advertising agency?"

"Uhm, ... I own it, actually. I established it some years ago", Angela explained.

"Oh wow!" Timothy was impressed. That was where her self-secure demeanor came from, this aura of strength and invulnerability. Although ... the night he had been sitting with her in that diner she hadn't appeared invulnerable at all but very hurt instead. "You have an advertising agency? Don't tell me in New York!"

"Yes indeed, in New York." Angela nodded. "Small but mighty", she added proudly.

"And you're directing it from here?" Timothy couldn't hide his surprise.

"No, I've transferred the direction to my mother and my two vice presidents and only intervene when necessary, like with Mr. Goldstein who thinks we would draft a new campaign for him without extra charge."

Angela shook her head. She never felt as useless and superfluous when it came to her agency like she felt here in Branford, being nothing else than the professor's spouse. In her work she was strong and street smart, always the mistress of the situation, she could pull the chestnuts out of every fire any time and never let insecurity get the better of her.

"And that works?" Timothy hardly believed what he had just heard. There she had such an exposed position and such an interesting job and wasted her time in this hick town to prepare the Coach's breakfast and buy flowers on the market? 'She must be bored to death', he sympathised. Maybe that was where her intrinsic sadness came from? She knew well how to hide it, but this particular night, _their_ night, he had seen it. When she had admitted that she didn't know whether Branford was the right place for her, she had shown him, and then she had ended their talk abruptly.

"Well, it works alright. I drop in at the office occasionally and discuss the most important issues with my staff. These are all good people, they get along quite well without me for a while."

Although this was correct, she always had a hard time leaving the agency after such meetings for another indefinite period of time. Her office had been like her home for her and she missed it every day a bit more. She missed being asked by her staff for advice or for throwing in her abundant creativity, she missed contributing to the development of a new marketing strategy, and meeting with fellow ad execs for business lunches where they exchanged the latest news and gossip about their industry. She felt cut off from her old world, and like an emigrant who didn't really feel at home in his new country and therefore still kept his former homeland's citizenship, she clung to her agency.

"Gee, maybe you could help me with my marketing thesis then and not only with literature", suddenly came to Timothy's mind. That was too good to be true! "Marketing is one of my majors, and to be honest, ... I'm not very good at it either. If I fail this as well, I might even lose my scholarship."

"I'd be happy to help you, Timothy, no problem at all. What is your thesis about?" Angela's interest had been aroused.

"We have to evaluate a given campaign with respect to its strengths and weaknesses. Then we have to draft a new, improved concept." Timothy had already struggled with it. He could tell what he didn't like about it but he lacked the necessary creativity and power of imagination to make it better. If he could get professional help, moreover from this woman, it would be like winning the lottery. He would have a reason to see her regularly and end up with a terrific marketing thesis to top all of it. It was beyond all question for Timothy that Angela was very good in what she did, if not sublime.

"That shouldn't be a problem", she assured him and asked, "what kind of product are we talking about?" Angela had already switched on the business mode.

"Soap." Timothy grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Boring."

"Oh my, I don't know how many campaigns I've already invented for soap. And they were never boring! I'm sure we ... uhm, _you_ can come up with something convincing." 'As long as it's not two women mud wrestling', Angela thought by herself and couldn't suppress a slight smile appearing on her face, thinking about Tony's idea for a soap commercial in one of her evening classes. "You won't fail marketing, Timothy, this much I can guarantee!"

"Great! When do we start?" Right now preferably.

"Let me think ... Tony and I are going to the mountains on the weekend but we can start on Monday, if you like. How about half past three? Just bring your stuff and we'll have a look at it together and see what needs to be improved", Angela proposed.

"That's super, Angela! I'm awfully grateful." Timothy leaned across the table and squeezed Angela's hand, he wouldn't leave this opportunity untaken. She smiled at him and exactly at this very moment the kitchen door swung open and Tony suddenly stood in front of them. "Honey, I managed to co-", was all that passed his lips as he was too surprised to see Timothy sitting at his kitchen table. What was he doing here? "Uhm, ... to come home earlier, I wanted to say!" he concluded.

Angela and Timothy both turned their heads towards him, Timothy pulled his hand back jumpily. His heart was in his mouth and he had a sudden attack of sweating. Did the Coach notice anything? He had to be cautious, he bet this man wasn't a person to be trifled with when it came to his fiancée. Angela on the contrary wasn't conscience-stricken at all. What for anyway? She was exhilarated to see Tony that early. For the second time on this day he had surprised her with his attendance - if that wasn't a good sign for their relationship!

"Tony! It's wonderful that you're home already!" She jumped up and flung her arms around his neck.

"Our next game is against the Wesleyan Tigers. We've played them a hundred times at least, we know them inside out, so there was no need of a long tactical briefing today. We beat them last time, even if only my a narrow margin, so this weekend we're just going to repeat it. Unfortunately, we lack our best man!" He looked at Timothy and sighed. "Hi Timothy. What's up? Have you already begun to write your paper about Jane Austen? You could compensate with it for your lousy exam and return to the team. We need you!" Turning to Angela he added, "I had to suspend Timothy from the team because he had turned in a really poor literature exam. I've never seen something as bad as this. I've warned you, Son!" he justified the expulsion in a reproachful tone.

"Not yet Coach, but now I have someone who helps me with it." He looked at Angela because he didn't know whether she wanted to keep their collaboration a secret. He would've liked it that way. To meet with her surreptitiously, without letting the Coach in on it, would make the whole thing even more exciting. But of course Angela didn't have any reason not to tell Tony that she was going to help Timothy with his curricular obligations.

"Why didn't you tell me that Jane Austen was on your curriculum in literature? You know how much I love her novels. Timothy told me that he had been barred from the team. We met coincidently at the market. Luckily for me because I had once again shopped too much, and my basket must have weighed tons. He carried it all the way home for me", she told him.

"I see, once again at the right spot at the perfect time, Timothy?" It somehow bothered Tony that Timothy had helped Angela out of a mess twice in only a few days, but he couldn't really tell why. The way this young man had looked at him when he entered the kitchen had displayed more than just surprise. But what else?

"You're right Coach. The world is small, especially here in Branford." Timothy didn't know what else to say to explain why he had been at the farmers' market. He felt uneasy with Tony being present. It might have been the sense of guilt at the bottom of his stomach which preyed on his conscience. He tried to pinch his Coach's girlfriend after all. And as a matter of fact, he liked him. He was a great coach and great teacher. A teacher who really cared for his students, who really wanted to teach them something they could benefit from for the rest of their lives. There weren't so many teachers of this kind. Timothy also perceived that Tony made every effort to support him in particular, that he saw a promising baseball talent in him but also gave him credit to get a college degree. That was much more than his own father had ever believed he would be able to accomplish.

"I'm going to help Timothy with his Jane Austen paper, Tony. Before you know what's happening, he will be back in your team!" Angela beamed at him. She was so thrilled to finally have something meaningful to do. She truly had knitted enough afghans and painted enough sunsets. She longed for using her brain once again and curricular work was exactly meeting her needs. When she had been a college student, she loved to dive into the topics of her papers, to browse through the shelves at the library, so read up on a new subject and write down her thoughts and ideas later on. This passion of hers had made her a loner, for her fellow students went dancing or partying instead. But her ambition and diligence hadn't been detrimental to her personal development; her successful professional path served as a proof.

"Well, Timothy, you're one lucky guy. Angela is brilliant in projects like these." 'You can say that again, Coach', Timothy would've wished to say, 'Lucky me!'

"And I can also support him with his marketing thesis. He has to draft a campaign for soap. Does that ring a bell, Honey?" She pinched Tony's upper arm lovingly and showed him a teasing grin.

Tony laughed loudly. "Oh yeah, the girls in the mud! Wasn't one of my most splendid achievements." Tony and Angela looked at each other, both knowing what they were alluding to.

Timothy observed them. Of course, he didn't have any idea what they were talking about, and that made him angry. He was jealous! Jealous of the history which connected them. Jealous of their long-term relationship. Jealous of their physical closeness; they were standing beside each other, Angela had her hand on Tony's shoulder and he had his arm around her waist. They only hadn't kissed yet - at least he had been spared this! Well, they probably would as soon as he had left through the front door. Darn!

"I guess I better be going", Timothy interposed, "I don't want to disturb you furthermore. I'll be here next Monday at half past three, Angela, like we agreed upon. Have a nice weekend in the mountains", he managed to say. "Goodbye, Coach."

"You're not disturbing at all, Timothy. Wait, let me walk you to the door." Angela opened the kitchen door and followed Timothy.

Tony remained in the kitchen alone. He sat down at the table and recalled the last minutes. There was nothing wrong with Angela's plan to help Timothy with his papers. To the contrary, the sooner Timothy found his way back into the team, the better. He was a very valuable and almost irreplaceable player; they could forget all about moving to the next division without him. With Angela's help though, he would be able to exploit his full potential, Tony knew. He himself had benefited more than once from her energetic support and enthusiastic motivation. She had pushed him through college, she could push Timothy through as well. But there had been something hanging in the air in that kitchen. Some tension between him and Timothy which hadn't been there before.

What was happening here?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

Timothy hadn't slept very well Sunday night out of excitement. Being able to sit at a table next to Angela soon, working on his papers, filled his heart with pleasant anticipation. His marketing thesis had a higher priority than the literature paper because his scholarship and eventually his college degree depended on it. Going without baseball for a couple of weeks wasn't really bothering him, all the more if he was allowed to spend time with Angela instead. The training deficit wouldn't be a problem either; he was by far the team's best player and would easily qualify for a higher division, if not the premier league. To become a professional ballplayer one day was his big dream, and actually, he wouldn't need a college degree for it. But his ambition had been incited, and the way his coaching teacher respectively teaching coach believed in him had given him the amount of self-esteem needed to give it a try. Besides, he would love to prove his father wrong who had once told him that he was not smart enough for college.

They would start with working at the ad campaign, this much Timothy had already decided. And because he didn't want to be at a complete loss, he had spent the entire weekend catching up with all the marketing textbooks he had neglected so far. He had watched TV until late at night, hoping he would come across some soap commercials which could generate a few ideas for his own. Never before had he worked with so much vigor and diligence for college ... she had already made him a better student!

Once in a while, his thoughts had been wandering from marketing to Tony and Angela in the mountains though. The perception of what the two of them might be doing had haunted him. Would they go for a hike? Would they be having a picnic? Would they be sleeping in a tent? Would they make ... ? Yes, they definitely would! Every time he thought about it, an irresistible urge to swing at the punching bag in the room he shared with a rather sociable law student had overcome him. He had fallen in love, there was no use in denying it. He had been in relationships with women before but all of them had rather consisted of physical attraction and lust only; on both sides. He had never felt that warmth sharing the company of a woman, that exhilaration thinking of her and urging pain being separated from her.

The young man was standing in front of her door for more than ten minutes now, checking his watch incessantly. Did it move slower today just to tease him? He didn't want to be too soon for he didn't want Angela to notice how lovelorn and impatient he was. Then, finally, the minute hand hit the six on the clock-face; it was half half past three. With all the self-discipline he had he managed to wait another another five minutes, then he knocked at the door. It opened and there she stood, but she was in a condition he hadn't anticipated at all. Angela was pale and her eyes were red. Her hair had been tied carelessly into a ponytail, she wore some baggy sweat pants and a shirt with an imprint saying "Wells College" which was far too big; it obviously belonged to the Coach.

"Oh, Timothy it's you, come on in", she said with a weak voice. Then a cough attack struck her and she turned her back towards him.

"Angela? Are you alright?" he asked although it was quite obvious that she wasn't. She slowly scuffed to the couch and let herself fall onto it powerlessly.

"No, not really. I think I've caught a solid cold in the mountains."

Alright! Maybe he had tortured himself for nothing, imagining what they might have done out there in that secluded little nature reserve? Maybe they hadn't done anything? Maybe their romantic weekend hadn't exactly been a success? Not that he wished for Angela to be sick but his fantasies of them enjoying the landscape, holding hands while hiking through the mountains, and snuggling up against each other at night, had broken his sleep repeatedly.

"Oh dear, so you couldn't enjoy your weekend then?" he said, hoping to see his assumptions confirmed.

"Oh no, it was wonderful!" 'Darn, why did I even ask', he chided himself. "I never thought I could enjoy seclusion so much. There wasn't a soul to be seen. It was so nicely warm at day, only the nights in the tent were a bit cold. Luckily, I didn't get sick until Sunday afternoon." If they had left on their clothes at night and had stayed in their thick sleeping bags, then maybe the cold wouldn't have bothered her so much. Tony had carried ang only the best of equipment for her in his huge backpack. They had tried to be sensible but just couldn't leave their fingers off each other. Angela thought back to their intimate togetherness in that little tent under the starlit sky and a blissful smile hushed across her face, a smile which Timothy noticed only too well. He gritted his teeth and needed to inhale deeply a few times to get his pulse back under control which jealousy had pushed up to an excessive rate.

"Angela, would you prefer to relax? We can start some other time", Timothy offered.

"Oh no, no need for that. I've headed board meetings in conditions much worse than this. I'm fine. I promised to help you and this I'm going to do. Show me what you have." She sat on the couch and beckoned him over. "Unless you're afraid to pick up my cold."

Timothy sat down right beside her. "My immune system is pretty good, Angela. Don't you worry." And even if it wasn't, he wouldn't mind. He definitely wouldn't leave just because she was spreading some germs. He put his backpack on his lap, took his papers out, and laid them on the little coffee table. Angela sneezed. "Are you sure you want to have a look at this? I'm afraid it's pretty bad", he warned her.

"I _am_ sure! I've already been presented all kinds of trash by highly decorated art directors, I won't be shocked so easily. And I don't think that your stuff is that bad. You are an intelligent and sensitive person, I bet you came up with some good ideas." She smiled at him which made Timothy instantly feel warm all over. This was the way she saw him; 'intelligent' - okay, 'sensitive' - wonderful! He would show her how sensitive he could be.

"First, I'm going to make a nice, hot cup of tea for you. You stay here, I'll find my way around the kitchen", he ordered her. He didn't let an opportunity to care for her slip just like this.

Five minutes later he came out of the kitchen with a huge mug of tea he had sweetened with honey and sat beside Angela. She had already browsed through Timothy's papers. She was completely in her element and had almost forgotten that this was only a college paper and not a client's assignment worth millions of dollars. She had a look at the storyboards, at the written concept and the task the marketing professor had set for his students. Then she skimmed Timothy's text, frowned shortly, and finally looked him in the eye over the top of her glasses.

"Well, that's not too bad for a start", Angela said confidently.

All at once, she felt much better. As president of the Bower Agency she had loathed it when a disease kept her away from work, especially in its early stages of development. If she had to stay in bed due to a fever - Tony could be quite rigid as a nurse - she had always had some files on her lap and the phone within her arm's reach. However, most of the time she had dragged herself into the office and had managed to ignore her ailments by focussing on her work. It was amazing how much power her mind had over her body. Then, on the train ride home to Fairfield, exhaustion had taken the better of her inevitably, and when Tony had picked her up at the station she had felt so lousy and weak that she had literally fallen into his arms. Tony had always nursed her back to health for the upcoming day; eventually, he had given up to warn his boss that some day her body would be drained and quit the service. She was a workaholic, she loved her work, assumed responsibility for her clients and staff, and didn't concede herself any weakness.

"You really think so?" Timothy asked. "How do you like it so far?"

"Hmmm, ..." Angela thought for a moment. Opposite her sat a student, not a staff member with a marketing degree of a top-ranking university whom she paid a lot of money. To such a person, she would have been able to say something quite different. She expected a top performance from everyone, always. Just like she expected it from herself, always. "Well, there are some smart ideas in there you can pursue but there are also some we have to talk about", she told him diplomatically. "But don't you worry, we'll manage." That had always been one of her strengths as an executive - she critiqued but she also motivated, she always argued objectively and was never disdainful or unfair. Her employees greatly appreciated this about their boss. That was why she not only missed her agency but was also sadly missed by her staff in return, even by her mother who, of course, would never admit it.

"Okay, where do we start?" Timothy was ready.

* * *

They had talked about marketing for roughly two and a half hours. Angela knew how to get her mentee on the right track by asking him pointed questions. She would have been able to come up with a concept within half a day, a concept so skillful it would make the eyes of Timothy's professor pop out of his head, but that wasn't the general idea. Not only did she want to prevent Timothy's expulsion from college, she also wanted to teach him something about her business. Therefore he had to earn the merits himself, Angela wasn't willing to take the effort from his shoulders. She drilled him with technical questions, which he could have answered, had he at least once in a while listened to what the professor had talked about during his lectures. Timothy was glad he had read up on the most important basics and didn't look like a complete moron. This wouldn't be a stroll through the park, that much he had already realized. Sweat began to form on his forehead; he usually didn't use his brain for such a long time, focussing on a single topic. Until now, he had always relied on his ability to compensate for his poor scholastic achievements with his extraordinary performance on the baseball field. But this didn't suffice any more. The Coach had made it clear that he saw himself as Timothy's professor first and his primary goal was to push him through college, make sure he got a degree. Timothy was surprised by this attitude. It had never happened to him before that an adult cared about his future, not even his father had done so. Now there was this person who saw more in him than the gifted player he needed to push the team to the next division. Timothy was grateful for this and seeing Tony willing to sacrifice his own dream for his sake, barring him from the team until he turned in a fairly well-written literature paper, only added to his feeling of guilt. Why did this gorgeous woman have to be exactly _his_ fiancée?

"What is essential in the development of an advertising campaign? ... Timothy? Angela tried to pull him out of his trance. "Hello! Are you still here?"

Timothy slightly shook his head to get the Coach out of his head. How did he get in there? He wasn't helpful at the moment.

"Sorry, ... uhm yes, I'm here. What did you ask?" He smiled guiltily and Angela had to laugh.

"I guess that should be enough for today. We've accomplished quite a bit." She put her hand on his shoulder in an appreciative gesture. Timothy hardly breathed for sheer excitement. 'I hope she leaves it there forever', he wished silently but was disappointed all too soon when another cough attack hit Angela and she turned away from him. The cough churned her entire body, Timothy noticed how hard she had to struggle. So he mustered all his courage and for his part laid his hand gently on her back - and he didn't plan on taking it away so quickly.

"Everything alright, Angela? Can I help you?"

She nodded and pointed to a little carton on the dinner table. It contained a small inhaler like the one his younger sister had who suffered from asthma. He grabbed the carton - he had to take away his hand from her back to be able to do that - took the inhaler out, removed the cap and gave it to Angela. Then he put his hand on her arm, he didn't give up that easily. In a short coughing pause she put the inhaler to her mouth and took two deep breaths. After that, her coughing slowly died away. Timothy became bolder, almost daring.

"Are you feverish?" was now his worry and without being asked he laid his hand on her forehead. He had never been this close to her before.

"I don't know. ... Your hand is nice and cold, Timothy", Angela replied weakly.

Timothy startled a little and pulled his hand back quickly. Angela's forehead was burning like fire. Had he asked too much from her in his boundless desire to keep her company? He chided himself. He should have left her in peace, he had seen that she wasn't well.

"You _are_ running a fever, a very high fever! Let me get you a damp cloth to cool your forehead. Prop up your legs, I'll get you a blanket" He looked around the apartment until he spotted a pile of afghans. He took the uppermost and covered Angela's body with it. Then he went into the kitchen, took the first kitchen towel he saw, soaked it in the sink and joined Angela in the living room. She was lying on the sofa now, her eyes closed, and he could hear dry gasps from her breathing. He put the cold towel on her forehead which only elicited a grateful "mmmm, ...".

Then Angela opened her eyes and smiled at Timothy. "Thank you, that's good. I guess it hit me much stronger than I thought."

Timothy once again laid his hand on her arm. "I should've left right away instead of bothering you with my lousy scribble."

"Nonsense, I'm a big girl, I can decide for myself, Timothy. I had fun brainstorming with you about your campaign. I haven't had such an inspiring and entertaining Monday afternoon in a long time. I'm looking forward to our next meeting at the end of the week", she assured him.

Timothy's heart leaped with joy. He was exhilarated and couldn't think of anything else to say than "nice afghans you have there", and mentally spanked himself for such a stupid remark.

"What? Oh yes. That's been one of my afternoon diversions so far. We've got so many I already thought about making a business out of it", Angela commented scornfully. "If you like them, take one home. Just pick one", and with a lot of sarcasm in her voice she added, "there's lots."

There was no need for a second offer. Not that he really liked the afghans that much but _she_ had knitted them, it was a personal gift from her to him. He would take this blanket back to his room on campus, would snuggle up in it and dream about the day he would be wrapped up by her arms and not only her blanket.

"Timothy? Would you please soak the cloth once again? I feel like I'm burning." Angela held the towel out to him.

He checked her forehead again and was alarmed, her temperature seemed to have risen within these few minutes. He ran into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and looked for ice cubes. He took a handful out, wrapped the damp kitchen towel around them and went back to Angela. He knelt on the floor beside her head and dabbed her forehead with the cold cloth.

"I'm worried now, Angela. You're running a very high fever, I think. Shall I call a doctor?"

"No, don't. Tony will be here any minute, he'll nurse me back to health", Angela appeased, "he's very experienced in taking care of me."

As if on cue the door opened and Tony entered the apartment. At first, he didn't even notice Angela and Timothy. Calmly, he put his briefcase on the floor next to the door, loosened his tie and opened the uppermost button of his shirt, pulled off his jacket and hung it at the coat rack. He was on his way to the kitchen to get an after-work beer when he suddenly saw them; Angela lying on the sofa covered by an afghan and Timothy kneeling in front of her, his hand on her forehead. What kind of a situation was this? What were they doing there? But then he quickly realized what was going on. Angela didn't look good at all. Last night, when they had returned from their wonderful mountain tour, she had started coughing, and this morning she had looked at him with puffy eyes and had been sneezing endlessly. He had asked her whether she needed something from the pharmacy before he went to work but she had refused. She hated being sick for it meant being weak and dependant on others, that wasn't her cup of tea. Tony knew her that well after all these years.

"Angela, Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Timothy could read the Coach's worries in his eyes as well as his care and love for Angela, and he just hoped that his own feelings weren't written all over his face equally plainly.

"She's very feverish, Coach. When I came here she was still alright and insisted on starting with my paper", Timothy defended himself.

"That's the way she is", Tony concurred. "She doesn't like to be told by her body to shift down a gear. It's always been like this and will forevermore." He shook his head. How often had he been forced to downright forbid Angela to go to the office sick? Sometimes he had even disconnected the phone to give her a few hours of sleep without any disturbing calls from the office. He also had to think about the year he had carried her out of the house on his shoulder, almost kidnapping her for a holiday, only to make her recharge her battery. Unfortunately, she had been fired by Wallace & McQuade in the aftermath, which had proved to be a lucky fate later on, for it had been the starting shot for the Bower Agency. Needless to say that with her own business she was even less willing to take a time-out.

Another one of these remarks which let Timothy freeze. It was obvious how well the Coach knew Angela, how much they had been through together. Like when she had said earlier she didn't need a doctor because he would be home soon. He envied the way they shared each other's life. Timothy felt like the proverbial fifth wheel, so he began to pack his notes and papers into his backpack. He had stuffed the afghan in earlier and was glad that the Coach wouldn't notice Angela had given him one as a present.

"I better hit the road", he said. "Get well soon, Angela. And thanks a lot for your help today."

Angela opened her eyes and sat up a bit. A tired smile showed up on her face. "You're welcome, Timothy. I hope I haven't given you my cold." As if to prove it she badly sneezed three times.

"Bless you!" Tony and Timothy said in unison.

"Thanks to both of you ... Ugh, Timothy, I want you to summarize what we've talked about today. Write the introduction to your thesis, that is to say the technical part. And be deliberate! Five pages at least. We'll fine-tune it next time, then we're going to have a look at your ideas for the campaign. Okay?!" She started coughing again and collapsed backwards on the sofa.

"It's enough now, Angela", Tony threw in now in a stern tone. "You lie down and relax. Timothy will manage, I'm sure." With this he turned around to him and said, "Please, you have to go now, Timothy. Thanks for caring for Angela." 'How come I have to thank him for doing this over and over again?' went through Tony's mind. 'Why is this guy always on the spot when Angela is in need?' Tony didn't track this thought any further because he was worried too much about Angela at the moment. He stroked her hair lovingly and gently touched her feverish cheeks.

"Alright, Coach." Timothy turned to Angela and said, "I won't disappoint you, Angela."

"I know, Timothy, I know", she said faintly with closed eyes.

Timothy grabbed the backpack with his precious treasure inside and left the apartment. Upon stepping out on the street, a brisk wind was blowing right into his face but from the inside he burned as if he himself was running a fever. No, he definitely wouldn't disappoint her! He would put as much effort into this project as never before, just to make her happy. She was his mentor, and he would prove to be worth the trouble. Maybe he would even be allowed to work for her agency one day.

* * *

Angela was sick for the entire week. She had picked up a solid flu, with a high fever and a benign pneumonia. Tony could have spanked himself for not having persuaded her to stay in her sleeping bag warmly dressed in her functional hiking underwear when she had rolled over to him in their tent on their second night and had started nibbling at his earlobe. His libido had taken over control too quickly for him to even have a chance to talk her out of the exchange of tender loving care. So they hadn't spent the night in a protecting, warm cocoon made of down, but had been exposed to the freezing cold of the night, only being watered-down by the increase of their body temperature due to physical activity. The least Tony had done was covering Angela with one of the sleeping bags once she had fallen asleep with her head on his chest, but it hadn't really protected her from the cold. When Angela had woken up on Sunday morning, she had been shivering all over and had felt as if she had spent the night in a fridge.

Tony limited his attendance at campus to what was absolutely necessary, and that were his classes. He cancelled all team meetings and student appointments to be able to look after Angela. He discussed the training program with his team briefly, appointed of the most reliable player as his assistant coach unceremoniously and appealed to their sense of responsibility to work through the entire routine properly without him. As soon as he was back in the apartment, his complete attention belonged to his patient. 'Do I need to be half dead to make him care about me?' Angela asked herself at some point but most of the time she just enjoyed his touching effort and loving care. He cooked chicken soup with a lot of garlic, one of the best known domestic remedies, monitored her use of the prescribed medication, kept her company and supervised her sleep.

For Timothy, this week was like hell. Not only because the Coach had cancelled his appointment with Angela which they had already scheduled for the end of the week - this alone was as worse as it could be - but also because he was truly worried about her. There was no joking around with an influenza, that wasn't just a harmless cold. This was a complete unfamiliar sensation for him; to worry about a woman, to empathize this much with her, and to wish for nothing else but her felling better. Was this love? Apparently. However, he knew she had a dedicated male nurse. Timothy had witnessed more than once the way Tony cared for an injured player. He wouldn't leave his side until the team doctor gave him a satisfying diagnosis, even if it meant he would have to accompany both to the hospital. The Coach had always acted like a mother hen which looked after her chicks; Timothy and his team mates had amused themselves about it only until one of them sat at the sideline with a pain-contorted face. In moments like this everyone was glad that the Coach didn't leave them alone. He would monitor Angela's recovery without a gap, Timothy was absolutely sure about that. And he felt relieved.

* * *

It was Friday and Timothy's last chance to ask Tony about Angela's current state of health. He didn't dare to drop by for an unannounced sick bed visit and even to call her seemed a bit pushy. So, after the history lecture Timothy joined Tony at the desk where he was pushing together his notes to tuck them into his briefcase.

"Coach?

Tony looked up. "Timothy. What's up?"

"How's Angela doing?"

There was something in the way Timothy inquired about Angela that Tony didn't like. It had sounded so deeply worried, so compassionate. Was that normal for someone being tutored?

"She's feeling better. Thanks for asking." He thought he had answered the question and Timothy would leave but he didn't move. "Something else?"

The young man looked on the ground. He knew it would've been wiser to bite back the next question but he simply _had_ to know. "What do you think, when will it be possible for me to come over again?"

One look into his counterpart's face showed him he should have listened to his gut instinct. Tony narrowed his eyes to slits and scrutinized him. The lecture hall had emptied by now, only the two of them were left, which was okay for Tony but made Timothy very uneasy. Why the hell hadn't he kept his mouth shut?

"Timothy, ... I really appreciate you finally showing some scholastic ambition but you have to give Angela enough time to cure this flu completely. Besides, I don't want you to monopolize her that much. I've told you about this tutoring program, the one our college offers, remember? You could get enrolled. Angela has some other things to do than tutoring my students."

'And what would that be? Knitting afghans?' Timothy would've liked to ask him reproachfully but this time his inner alert system worked and he kept the question to himself. But he didn't understand this man. Didn't he see that his fiancée was bored to death? Did he really expect her to give up her terrific, exciting live in New York to go camping with him in this wasteland here? Maybe that was exactly what went wrong between those two, because that their relationship wasn't running perfectly smooth was all too obvious by now. That could be his chance to strengthen the delicate bond he had tied so far. If he could show Angela that he indeed understood her, that he was interested in her work and admired her, then they might find a common basis to build a much deeper friendship on ... and maybe even some other kind of relationship. But to be able to do that he needed to talk to her in private, without the Coach being present and looking over his shoulder. 'Be patient, Timothy', he urged himself. First, she ought to get well again. He would postpone his Jane Austen paper furthermore to remain expelled from the team, then a meeting with her might come along in the upcoming week.

"Okay Coach, I'll get some information about it", he lied. Never ever would he trade his very attractive personal mentor for some elderly nerd with a moustache and spectacles.

"Alright Timothy. You should enroll at least for literature. I guess Angela wouldn't like to hand over the reigns with your marketing paper. I'm pretty sure she'll get into contact with you as soon as she's recovered."

Had Tony anticipated that Timothy understood his last remark as an approval for being allowed to meet Angela again, he would've clarified unambiguously that he didn't want anybody to fish in his pond. He would've told him that Angela belonged to him, that he loved and adored her, that their relationship was based on longstanding friendship and trust, that they knew each other inside out, that he couldn't imagine his life without her, and that he wouldn't let anybody take her away from him ... especially not a twenty-three year-old half-baked college student. But he uttered none of these thoughts, he only watched Timothy as he turned around and left the lecture hall without another word.

Tony remained behind and tried to sort out his thoughts. He was bewildered and confused but couldn't really tell why, he was afflicted by a queasy feeling he couldn't explain. Why had all this been crossing his mind? Why had he hardly been able to suppress his desire to shake this boy and tell him outright "Keep your hands off Angela!"? He had always liked Timothy, had supported him, had recognized a bit of himself in him. He knew that the boy had much more potential than his father gave him credit for. What was the matter with him? He acted differently lately when he was around, seemed to be tense when their paths crossed coincidently. And why for heaven's sake didn't he do his utmost to return to the team? Baseball was his passion after all, wasn't it?

Tony just started to follow that last train of thoughts when the school bell chimed and pulled him out of his musings. The next class was waiting for him, so this one notion which had just piped up from his subconscious, the notion that Timothy always was with Angela while he was on the baseball field, this particular notion fell back into the depths of his contemplations and remained unanswered.

For now.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's note: _**_I always felt__ that on TV Mona showed her true feelings for Angela only very seldom, so I thought it was about time to go below the surface of Mona's teasing and try to figure out what sort of emotions could be hiding there. __Than__k you, VioletStella, for working on Mona with me in this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Angela was looking forward to the upcoming weekend. She had recovered completely but it had taken almost two weeks until overprotective Tony thought she was finally strong enough to leave the sickbed. She wasn't sure what had upset her more; her nagging personal physician or the horrible flu. She loved Tony with all her heart and had enjoyed being the center of his attention lasting longer than only a weekend but he had tried too hard, always hovering, as if he wanted to compensate for all the times he had neglected her in the past.

Eventually, Angela was grateful to have Timothy stopping by again. They had almost finished his marketing paper and Angela expected no less than a surefire A. His scholarship was secured which took a lot of weight off everybody's mind. The only thing left to do was the Jane Austen paper. Tony had been somewhat surprised that Timothy hadn't managed to get enrolled in the tutoring program but hadn't yet had a chance to confront him about it.

Mona had declared she was coming for a visit this weekend. She would come as managing director of The Bower Agency, reporting to her president, but it would also be a family visit. She was looking forward to seeing her daughter just as much as Angela was looking forward to seeing her. She missed her, even if she would never express it out loud. Mona felt like half of a comedy duo who had lost her longtime partner. The two of them had always been a dream team with Mona as the teaser and Angela as the foil. Onlookers had often mistaken Mona's way to get laughs at her daughter's expense as a sign of nastiness; but they were wrong, on the contrary, it was a sign of her affection. Since Robert, the head of their little family of three, had passed away so unexpectedly, turning their world upside down, they had clung to each other for emotional support, both realizing one wouldn't be able to go on without the other. Angela was well aware that her mother's teasing was a sign of love and she also knew she could always count on her if necessary. Mona could be the loving, supportive and encouraging mother Angela needed when life got rough, at all other times she was her mother's favorite target for her snide remarks. When Angela had moved to Iowa, their formidable team had lost its star player and not only life at the agency was out of balance, but Mona's personal life was as well.

It was late Friday night, almost 10 o'clock. Mona had taken a flight from La Guardia after the end of the work day and had arrived twenty minutes earlier. She had picked up her luggage at the baggage claim and was dragging her trolley through the arrivals hall. The little municipal airport wasn't comparable to the huge airports of New York; the arrivals hall was already empty and lifeless, her flight had been the last one for the day. She stepped through the automatic door and instantly spotted Angela sitting on an orange plastic seat, buried in deep thought. She hadn't even noticed her mother's arrival.

"Aren't you going to take this heavy bag off your old mother's shoulder?" Mona greeted her.

Angela lifted her head and her face lit up instantly, she beamed at Mona and flung her arms around her neck. "Mother, so good to see you. I missed you!"

"For heaven's sake, Angela. What's gotten into you?" She wasn't used to intimate hugs such as this, "I'm not planning to change my will, so you can abstain from proving your love and affection for me." There it was, her first barbed remark. Mona rejoiced inwardly.

Angela smiled at her, "truly your old self again, Mother!" Angela had felt similar, she had missed her mother's little sarcastic taunts and the ironic way she commented on her life.

"Where's Tony? Hasn't he come with you?" Mona asked surprised.

"No, he had a long practice before tomorrow's tournament, completed with a tactical briefing; but he will be cooking a lasagna for us. Dinner will be ready as soon as we're home."

"Thank you, dear Lord! I was afraid I'd have to rely on your culinary skills", the elder woman exclaimed relieved.

"Very funny, Mother. You'd be surprised about what I'm able to do in the kitchen by now", Angela replied reproachfully. She linked one arm with Mona and used the other to grab the handle of her trolley and prompted, "let's go, Mother!"

* * *

On their 50-minute ride to Branford, Angela was drilling Mona with questions about the agency she only reluctantly answered, preferring to be left alone about work after a tough week. When they arrived at the apartment, Tony welcomed them. He had already set the table, had uncorked a bottle of red wine and there was a delicious smell coming out of the kitchen. The three of them enjoyed dinner and remembered the countless family dinners in Fairfield with Sam and Jonathan or even Mrs. Rossini and Al joining them.

Mona told some funny stories about the agency and shared the latest gossip of New York, Tony spoke of his classes and his team and Angela ... well, Angela listened. She didn't have to tell much herself, in fact she didn't have anything to tell. What could she tell? That she had baked an apple pie last week? Or rather that she had read "Sense and Sensibility" once again? That she had bowled two strikes the week before her flu? Stories like these couldn't live up to Mona's nor to Tony's. Angela felt like a small, dumb hayseed who was listening to the stirring tales of the great, wide world. The more the other two spoke, the less she participated in the conversation until she had fallen completely silent, finally only picking at her food apathetically.

Angela's change of mood hadn't gone unnoticed by Mona and she intended to talk with her about it as the weekend progressed. She had been sensing for quite some time that Angela's inital overflowing joy about her move to Iowa had gradually changed into disillusion, but now it seemed as if her daughter was dissatisfied, maybe even unhappy. She would get to the bottom of things. Tony would be occupied with his tournament for the next two days, so she would find an opportunity to get Angela to speak.

Confirming what had just gone through Mona's mind, Angela put aside her fork and declared, "I'm going to bed now, I'm tired. Since we don't have a guest room, Mother, Tony's going to sleep on the couch and the two of us share a bed. Please, try not to wake me later." With this she stood up, murmured a hardly audible "good night everybody", turned around and vanished into the bedroom.

"What was that?" Mona asked, looking at Tony.

"I don't know", Tony replied. "I think, she's still struggling a bit with the aftermath of her flu. She had been running a very high fever for an entire week and was confined to bed for another week." He had been surprised about how she had obeyed the doctor's orders without any argument for he had never seen her lying in bed so inactively for such a long time in Fairfield. It had seemed as if she never wanted to get up again.

"And that's all?" Mona looked at Tony insistently, her piercing glance giving him the feeling of being cross-examined.

"That's all", Tony said with a lot more conviction in his voice than he actually felt.

* * *

Mona, Angela and Tony only had a short breakfast the following morning, then they drove together in Tony's car to the baseball stadium where the tournament was supposed to take place. Tony's college team was one of four teams which took part, others were Branford's highschool team, the team of the local baseball club and one from a village nearby. Angela and Mona had decided to watch the first round until early afternoon, then they would leave and use the rest of the day to talk about business. Angela would've preferred to question her mother about the agency earlier, but as she had been working in the office all week, Mona deserved at least half a day off, even if it was difficult for her to tame her curious mind. She ached for information about the office and could hardly wait to be filled in on every detail about what was going on in the advertising industry.

Tony was just finishing locking the Jeep when Timothy approached the trio.

"Hello Angela", he greeted her cheerfully.

Tony had asked Timothy to support his teammates during the tournament despite still being barred from the team. Much to Tony's astonishment, Timothy hadn't turned in the Jane Austen paper yet, and so the professor in him had not given in; the expulsion was still in force. First, Tony had thought that Angela's flu and his marketing paper was the reason for the delay but recently his speculations went into other directions. Was it possible he did this on purpose? Didn't he want to return to the team?

Timothy had gladly accepted Tony's request to attend the games at the weekend. He had expected to meet Angela as she had always been there to cheer them on. He was so delighted to see her that he almost forgot to say hello to Tony for he had only eyes for Angela. "Uhm, hi Coach", he managed to say not a moment too soon.

"Hello Timothy, nice of you to come out here", Angela said amicably. "Your teammates will highly appreciate it, I believe!"

"If he had taken care of his literature paper, he would've been a part of the team", Tony grunted silently through clenched teeth but Mona had heard it nonetheless. She had also noticed Tony's frosty look as well as the way Timothy was beaming at Angela as if she was a goddess. Only Angela seemed to be unaware of what was going on around her. Mona frowned. Something went terribly wrong here!

"Come on Timothy, let's join the others." Tony laid his arm on Timothy's shoulder and tried to drag him away from the two women.

"Angela, don't you want to introduce us?" Mona asked reproachfully. "I never knew you had such handsome guys out here." She just couldn't help it.

Angela ignored her mother being her mother and introduced them anyway, "Mother, this is Timothy, one of Tony's students and ball players. I'm helping him with a paper about Jane Austen and a thesis in marketing. ... Timothy, meet my mother, Mona Robinson."

Mona shook his hand, "nice to meet you, Timothy. Why aren't you playing today?" She wanted to know what Tony's mumbled remark had been about.

"Uhmm, the Coach has barred me from the team because I failed a literature exam", Timothy admitted ruefully. "I'm pleased to meet you too, Mrs. Robinson."

"Call me Mona, please. Mrs. Robinson sounds so old." Mona winked at him. "I knew Tony could be stern, but so stern?"

Timothy cleared his throat, "well, it wasn't the first exam I failed."

"It's only a question of time until he'll be able to play again, Mother. Next week, we're going to finish the paper and it's going to be great, right Timothy? Then Tony will take him back on the team. He is the best player and actually vital to their success." Angela nudged Timothy with her elbow and smiled at him

An ear-to-ear grin lit up the smitten young man's face. "Thanks to your help Angela, you're just wonderful!" he gushed.

"I understand ... ", Mona commented on what was happening right in front of her eyes, but she didn't mean Timothy's scholastic troubles. Angela might believe that she was simply tutoring this boy but she had read something different in the lad's eyes. And given Tony's reaction, he had also perceived something similar. 'It obviously was about time I showed up here', came to Mona's mind.

"Come on Timothy, the others are already waiting for us!" Tony prompted grumpily. "See you later, Ladies", he said, then he turned around without another word and was about to leave when Timothy offered, "how about I stay with Angela and Mona as an escort and explain the game to them?"

Tony didn't like the idea at all. Who did he think he was? He was a member of the team, a barred member that is, but still a teammate. He belonged on the bench with the other players and not in the stands like some kind of guest. And he definitely didn't belong at Angela's side.

"I'm pretty sure the ladies can take care of themselves, Timothy. And everything Angela needs to know about baseball, she has learned from me!" Tony knew he was being a bit possessive, quashing Timothy's intentions like this; but he had somehow felt the need to mark his territory. He now grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him along.

Mona was surprised once again; no goodnight kiss from Angela last night, no farewell kiss from Tony today. What was wrong with these two? The last time she had seen them, they could hardly keep their hands off each other, they used every opportunity to exchange kisses and were flirting all the time. They had been so sappy that Mona hadn't been able to stand it any longer; but the atmosphere between them know was totally different. They acted as if they were an old couple who had lost interest in each other and only lived beside one another instead of together. Mona was marvelling about what might have happened during these last few weeks to change a couple so much in love into two people hardly touching each other. Mona was determined to pounce on Angela about this as soon as there was an opportunity.

This occasion would come Mona's way only a few hours later. Sitting on the stands, in-between all the yelling and screaming of the fans, she could hardly involve Angela in a personal conversation but even there Mona was surprised about how withdrawn into herself her daughter was. She wasn't cheering on Tony's team as enthusiastically as she used to, her attendance seemed to be rather an obligation. At some point, Mona had seen enough and proposed to head home to which Angela had gladly agreed, thinking she would finally have the chance to discuss her agency.

* * *

Tony had given Angela the keys to his Jeep. He would look for a ride home and join them in the evening after the last game of the day. They were planning on having dinner at a little restaurant in the center of Branford where they served traditional home cooked meals. Tony and Angela had been there a few times and had always enjoyed the food.

Angela had been suppressing the businesswoman in her all day but couldn't control her impatience any longer. She had been so eager to get home, she had driven much faster than she usually did and had almost ignored a red light. As soon as she opened the apartment door, she assumed a presidential attitude and started to boss her mother around.

"Put the papers on the table, Mother, I'll make coffee for us. I need to know everything about the Hendersen account and what Jack came up with for Mr. Goldstein's campaign."

"We'll deal with this in a second, Angela, but first you're going to tell me what this 'tutoring Timothy' is all about", Mona demanded.

"What?"

Angela looked at her mother flabbergasted only to see Mona shaking her head disapprovingly. Unconsciously, Angela had provided a perfect opportunity for anther one of Mona's legendary taunts. She sighed over-dramatically.

"Didn't they teach you any manners at the ridiculously expensive Swiss boarding school your father an I had sent you or is this the kind of tone people use when talking to each other in this wasteland here?"

"Huh?"

What did her mother want from her?

"Once again! Well, I guess it's because you've been living outside the civilized world for a few months now and have forgotten how sophisticated people talk to each other."

"I beg your pardon?" Angela shook her head. "What are you talking about, Mother?"

"There you are. I'd almost lost all hope and was afraid you'd regressed to the stage of one-word-sentences due to lack of practice." Mona smiled complacently, how she missed teasing her daughter like this.

"Mother!"

Angela was completely confused now.

"See! That's what I mean. Are you lacking adequate conversational partners?" Mona was approaching the topic which had been preying on her mind ... the handsome, well-trained twenty-something-year-old who had looked at Angela with sparkling eyes.

"Could you please be a bit more precise! You're speaking in riddles", Angela demanded.

"Moi?" Mona raised one eyebrow and played dumb.

She knew she was going way overboard but she just couldn't help it. She had been deserted, for half a year her ironic punch lines had played to a vacuum now. Angela was irreplaceable as her straight man, that applied to her private life as well as the Bower Agency. Although Mona did her best every day to rally the troops and align the staff to a common goal, she could sense the unease in the office for her leadership style was completely different from her daughter's. Without Angela, who could always soothe the waves Mona might cause with her acerbic style and laissez-faire attention to work, the agency was lacking the lighthouse needed to keep everything in balance.

Angela as president of the Bower Agency was like a juggler keeping six balls in the air at a time. Her staff hadn't realized it until she was gone; not even Mona. And they wished for nothing else but her fast return; especially Mona. She wanted Angela to come home, snap her fingers and fix everything miraculously; but how could she begrudge Angela wanting to be in Iowa with Tony? She simply couldn't. She'd waited long enough for those two to get together, intervening now and tearing them apart once again, even if only by distance, would upset everything she'd hoped for all those years. Moreover, it would be selfish and ruthless, two personal traits Mona usually didn't have problems with, but if her daughter was involved, she indeed behaved, although she would always try to hide it.

When Angela let herself slump into the chair beside her mother in a helpless gesture, two brimful coffee mugs in her hand, Mona understood that it was time to terminate her little game and to come clean.

"This boy has a terrible crush on you! Are you even aware of that?"

Silence.

Mona could practically hear the bombshell dropping. It was obvious that Angela wasn't aware. She looked at her doubtfully, still holding the two coffee mugs in her hand.

"Give me these mugs, Dear, before you start spilling the coffee", Mona told her and put the two yellow mugs with a red "W" imprint on the table. They would remain untouched for the rest of the conversation.

"I guess I haven't understood properly, Mother. What did you say?" Angela couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"If you think Timothy comes here for the tutoring, you're mistaken, Angela. The boy adores you!" Mona had always clearly expressed her thoughts, especially when it came to love matters; she never minced her words.

"Don't be silly. He's a student, I'm at least ten years older than him!" Angela replied indignantly.

"Make that fifteen, Dear!" Another teasing Mona couldn't bite back.

"If you say so ..." Angela wasn't in the mood for subtleties as such, she was concerned about other things. Was her mother correct? And if she was, how come it had slipped her attention?

"Angela, don't tell me you haven't noticed anything. Even Tony is suspicious."

"Tony? Have you talked to him about this?" Angela asked aghast.

"I didn't have to, I saw it in is face while Timothy was with us." Mona simply had a sixth sense when it came to interpersonal tension, and when they had been standing together on that parking lot, the tension was palpable.

"I can't believe this, Mother. I'm sure he's just grateful because I'm helping him with his papers. We've developed a great campaign for his marketing project and he's going to get a fantastic grade and keep his scholarship. And when we're through with his Jane Austen paper, he'll be allowed to play baseball again. That's all there is to it, Mother. Really!"

That couldn't be true, could it? Was it really possible that a twenty-three-year-old had fallen in love with a woman who was about to celebrate her 40th birthday, a woman who was the fiancée of this young man's baseball coach? Maybe he had a little crush on her, okay. Maybe he admired her professional success a little. But her mother definitely read too much into a harmless issue; she sensed a saucy affair everywhere. It couldn't be any other way!

"Whatever you say, Angela. Just be cautious and don't encourage this young man any more. Maybe you've sent out wrong signals with your enthusiasm about this marketing paper of his? Might that be possible? I think you've become so involved in _his_ work because you miss your own work. Am I right, Dear?" Mona touched her daughter's chin and turned her head towards her to be able to look deeply into her eyes.

Angela couldn't hold her mother's gaze for very long. She had never been able to do that. As a child her penetrating look had always elicited her deepest secrets and worries. She withdraw from her grip but gladly accepted the offer to talk about how difficult it was for her to let go of her business.

"Maybe you aren't so wrong after all, Mother. I'm really having a lot of fun with this soap commercial. Sometimes I even forget that I'm working on a scholastic project and not on a real client's account. I've missed the thrill of excitement when a campaign takes shape in front of my eyes. It's good for me to deal with issues other than 'what's for dinner' or 'what has Tony planned for the weekend'.

"Speaking of Tony ... what does he have to say about all this?" Mona wanted to know.

Angela shrugged her shoulders. "What do you think? He wants to have Timothy back in his team as fast as possible. I believe he's happy that I'm helping him."

"Happy. Are you sure?" Mona probed. She wasn't convinced at all that Tony was happy about the fact that Timothy and Angela were spending so much time together.

"Hmmm ..." Angela would've preferred to duck out of an answer but Mona sure enough didn't let her off the hook.

"Well?" It was important for Angela to see that she was jeopardizing her relationship to Tony if she went on like this, so Mona insisted on an answer.

"He wanted Timothy to enroll in the college tutoring program, but it was booked. I couldn't let him down, could I? If I let Timothy down, I would have let Tony down too," Angela defended herself.

"Oh, my dear little naive Angela", Mona shook her head gently, "are you sure that Timothy really tried to get enrolled?" How could anyone be so gullible? Mona, for sure, definitely knew all the tricks.

Angela massaged her temples. It was all a bit too much for her. She was in a poor emotional condition lately. The frequent little quarrels with Tony, her disappointment about him not accompanying her to the upcoming award ceremony in New York, the unnerving boredom and monotony dominating her days, all of this blazed its way and made her eyes fill with tears.

Seeing Angela like this broke Mona's heart. Why didn't life grant her daughter just a little bit of lightness and happiness? During her first marriage with Michael, the narcissistic and unreliable failure of a husband, she had put her needs behind his just because the guy couldn't handle a wife with professional ambitions of her own. Then, for years she had been yearning for the man of her dreams in secret just because he wasn't capable of being in a relationship with his successful boss. And now, that she was finally in the relationship she had always hoped for, she again felt being torn between her own needs and those of her fiancé.

"Aaangelaaa, it's me, your mother. You can talk to me about anything", Mona tried to get Angela to confide in her.

"Oh Mother", she sighed, "I had pictured all of this so beautifully. And the first weeks were indeed wonderful and promising. Tony and I became closer and he's a great ..." She bit her lips but it had been too late, Mona had already picked up the thread.

"_Lover_ you were about to say, Dear?" she completed Angela's sentence, grinning at her.

Angela couldn't help it and started to laugh, "nobody can hide anything from you, can they?"

"Not when it comes to such matters!" Mona triumphed. "Don't be so prissy, Angela! You're adults, you're a couple, you're living here together just the two of you in an apartment with only one bedroom ... why shouldn't you have sex? It's the most natural thing in the world and one of the best gifts that love has in store for us." She gently pinched Angela's cheek. "I'm happy for you. After your marriage had failed I was hoping you would once again find someone to share you life with. And Tony and you are made for each other."

Mona, for once, had been trying to support Angela emotionally with her last remark; but to her complete surprise it had triggered the opposite effect. Angela burst out into tears and threw herself into her mother's arms. Mona squeezed her ever so gently, stroked her back and rocked her just like when she had been a little girl, crying over a mean classmate whom she adored but who would ignore her in return.

"Oh, my little one, what's the matter with you?" she asked compassionately.

Angela was crying uncontrollably now but it was a good cry, it took away a lot of the tension which had accumulated over the past few weeks. After the last sob had died away and her nose had been blown, she was ready and willing to tell her mother everything. About the dull afternoons which demoralized her, about the evenings Tony fell asleep on the couch, about the hopes their romantic weekends used to evoke in her and how these hopes were crushed every following work week. She told her how much she yearned for her work and finally that she was afraid that this relationship - like all her others - wouldn't withstand the rigors of everyday life.

Mona had to inhale deeply. She had sensed that Angela's life wasn't running smoothly in Iowa; but she had underestimated the depth of her daughter's misery. No wonder this boy has mistaken her enthusiasm for something else. She must have glowed with pleasure brainstorming about this soap commercial, not because of her love for Timothy but because of her love for advertising.

"Have you talked to Tony about all this? Does he know you're dissatisfied with your situation?" Mona suddenly became very worried when Angela only shook her head. "Shall I talk to him?" she offered.

"No, Mother", Angela refused categorically. "Don't do that! I don't want him to feel obliged to cut down on his work just because of me. He's really good at what he's doing and he loves it."

"But he also loves you!" Mona tried once again. "You have to confide in him. Where is this supposed to end? Do you want to persevere with this at all costs until you're so miserable you'll let out your frustration on Tony? Or do you want to come back to Fairfield and return to a weekend-only romance? Because I don't see any other option, do you? And both put your relationship in jeopardy."

Angela shook her head very slowly, staring at the sheets on the table, and her eyes started to fill with tears again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Angela was sitting at the dinner table in the living room in deep thought. She was holding an envelope in her hand. She wasn't sure whether she should bring up the subject once again and maybe it would have been wiser if she hadn't spent the money on this, but what if he changed his mind? She was so much buried in her musings that she didn't hear Tony approaching her on tiptoes from behind. He blindfolded her with his hands and asked with an assumed deep voice, imitating a strong Midwestern accent.

"Hey Lady, hope you're thinking of your favorite guy!" With this he put his hands away, laughed and boisterously kissed her neck.

"Oh hi, Tony. You're home early", Angela said and tried to hide the envelope away under a place mat but it was too late, he had already seen it.

"What are you having there? A love letter from a secret admirer?" He had had a great day and was in a joking mood.

"Uhm, no", Angela answered hesitatingly, "it's something I wanted to give you ... well, ... just in case ..." She still wasn't sure what he would say about it, but now that he had seen it, there was no use in trying to hide it.

Tony had no idea about the evenlope's contents and was eager to find out what Angela was so nervous about. He took the envelope, opened it while looking at her, and pulled out an airline ticket; a return ticket from Des Moines to Newark International Airport, departuring on June 25th and returning the following day ... business class of course.

"A ticket for me? To New York? On the weekend of the ceremony? I thought we agreed upon making up for this particular weekend some other time?"

"Agreed upon? _You_ decided and I didn't have a saying in this!" Angela paused for a moment, then she explained her idea, hoping that he would find it as convincing as she did. "The flight leaves Saturday late in the afternoon and returns the following morning. I thought you could fly in, join me at the ceremony, and fly back in the early morning. You would be away from your team for roughly 24 hours only." The ticket had been quite expensive because of the tight schedule but Angela didn't care, she desperately wanted to share the evening with Tony.

"You could have saved that money, Angela. I won't be coming. That's my last word and I don't see any use in talking about it over and over again."

"You can't leave your boys alone for one night? When I was ill, they managed to get along without you for almost two weeks. How come they need you around now on a 24/7 basis? Do you have to monitor a curfew or whether all of them brush their teeth?"

"No, I don't!" He was getting angry, so he answered her in a sharp voice, "I'm the head coach and we're playing against one of the best teams in college baseball in this country. The game will take place Saturday afternoon and I can't possibly leave for a family weekend in New York. I'm sorry!"

"You prefer being there to being with me! These Hawkeyes are more important to you than I am", Angela commented on his excuses, knowing very well that she almost behaved like an offended little girl but he was hurting her with his rational explanations. This was a matter very close to her heart and he used his job as a pretext to hide behind.

"Don't do this to me, Angela!" Tony warned her.

"Do what?"

"Twist my words. I never said the Hawkeyes are more important than you are. It's my professional obligation to be there. I thought that of all people in the world you'd be the first to understand. How many family events have you canceled because of your work? It must have been a hundred times more than I have!"

"I've never canceled an important family event just for a _fun_ meeting", Angela replied. She was furious now. How could he compare a meeting with an important client or an advertising conference to a friendly game during the off-season?

"You're not telling me that your job is more important than mine, do you?" Tony asked with fiery eyes.

"Now you're twisting _my_ words!" Angela accused him.

"No, I'm not! You want me to neglect my responsabilites only to have someone to escort you to your ceremony." He had taken himself into a rage by now. "I'm not your housekeeper anymore you could hire now and then as a handsome escort to a fancy banquet you didn't want to show up at alone."

He already regretted the words the moment they had left his mouth; they were mean, and moreover, they had never been true. Angela had never used him for selfish reasons, only once almost, when she had asked him to escort one of her female clients to a fancy dinner, but she had tried to right it wrong the very same evening, chancing a multi-million dollar account just to preserve his dignity. But it was too late. The words were out and he could see the effect they were having on Angela.

"If you see it this way ...", she concluded disencouraged, "there really is no use in talking about it any more."

She shook her head and sighed. Didn't he know that she didn't want him to be there as an escort but as the man who had contributed his share to the success of the Bower Agency? She had been to banquets and balls alone before, she was independent and strong enough in her business world to survive a formal invitation without having a man at her side. Angela wanted Tony to be with her because she would've never been bestowed this award if it hadn't been for him; the Bower Agency wouldn't even exist without him.

"So, I guess we can bury this matter now once and for all", Tony stated.

"I guess so", Angela agreed dryly.

"I'm going for a run." Tony suddenly felt the need for physical exercise, for sweating the tension out of his body and diverting his unpleasant thoughts. "I'm going to change in the gym. I'd be away for a few hours." With this he grabbed his sports bag and left the apartment without even saying goodbye.

Angela was left behind, let out a short, bitter laugh, and quietly said to herself sarcastically, "Well, I'd call that a mature conversation among adults."

* * *

On his way down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, Tony almost ran into Timothy.

"Oh, hi Coach! I'm dropping by to show Angela ..." the boy started but Tony didn't wait until he was finished. "She's upstairs. All yours!" he grunted hostilely.

Timothy looked after him perplexed but was glad he would meet Angela alone. He was holding the final version of his Jane Austen paper in his hand and had actually thought that the Coach would be happy about it, for it meant he could return to the team just in time for the friendly game against the Iowa Hawkeyes which was just lying ahead. After having procrastinated for weeks, Timothy decided it was about time to turn in the paper to prevent others from becoming suspicious. Had he looked into his Coach's eyes more attentively lately, he would have realized that he had already become suspisious enough about his star player's behavior.

Timothy knew that with turning in the paper he would have to come up with another plausible reason for seeing Angela on a regular basis. So he planned on asking her for a summer job in her agency. If she hired him as an intern, they could work together on a real account. Maybe they could meet in New York, far away from Branford and the Coach. He increasingly liked the idea every time he thought about it and he was determined to ask her today.

He knocked at the door. Angela opened and ushered him inside.

"I didn't know you we're coming, Timothy. Do we have an appointment?" she asked insecurely.

"Oh no! I've just finished the paper and wanted you to have a final look at it before I'll turn it in tomorrow. I want it to be perfect to be called back into the team as quickly as possible", he lied. "But if it's not convenient right now ..."

Angela shook her head. "It's alright, uhm, have a seat, I get my glasses."

While Angela was reading the paper, Timothy looked at her. She focussed on the contents and didn't notice the way Timothy was studying her; the way she had her feet tucked in under her legs, the way her glasses sat on the tip of her nose, the way some tendrils were cascading out of her pony tail onto her shoulders, the way she silently read the text to herself and smiled at sentences she liked. When she finally looked up at him, his mouth was so dry he could hardly swallow.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Like it? I love it!" she exclaimed. 'And I love you', he quietly said to himself. "This will not only bring you back on the team but strengthen your grade in literature as well. And I hope that working on this changed your opinion about Jane Austen after all, Timothy. If you like, I can lend you some of my favorite books of her. I read them over and over again as a teenager." She was so enthusiastic it was almost contagious.

"Sure", Timothy said, then he started to turn to his main topic, "I'm having a problem, Angela, maybe you can help me with it".

"What is it?"

He didn't want to ask her directly for a job but to gently push her into proposing one to him. He had pondered about the best strategy to accomplish this goal for the entire weekend and had come up with an idea Sunday afternoon while he had been strolling through Branford's little business district. So he began to lay out the bait.

"Uhmm, I need to make some money for a new car and I thought, ... maybe, ... if it were possible, ...".

"Yeeees?" Angela had no idea what he was up to.

"I thought I'd apply for a summer job at Miller's Advertising here in Branford. Would you care to proofread my cover letter?" he asked puppy-eyed.

"Miller's Advertsing? Are you crazy?" Angela exclaimed indignantly, "this little rat-shop downtown Branford?"

Now it was time to put part two of his plan into action. "Well, it's the only advertising agency in the area, and now that I learned so much from you about marketing and advertising, I thought that an internship might be good for my resumé." That sounded reasonable, didn't it?

"It sure would, but not an internship at Miller's Advertising. What do you think you'll learn there? How to develop a flyer for the local grocery store or how to draft an ad for the health club to put in the Branford Gazette?" Angela had dropped by the little agency during her first week in Branford out of curiosity and had been shocked about how much this working environment differed from what she was used to. It was like an amateur theater compared to Broadway. They might provide helpful services to their local low-scale clientele but couldn't even remotely match up to the creative and highly sophisticated work her agency delivered day in day out. "No, Timothy, if you really want to strengthen your resumé, you have to go to New York!"

"Do you really think so?" This had to suffice as a hint; 'don't play too dumb, Timothy', he warned himself.

"Sure! I know a lot of ad agencies in New York, although ...", she grinned broadly.

"Although what?"

"Mine's the best!" She grinned even broadlier. "So why don't you work for me?"

Strike!

"Oh, sounds good, great actually. I would love to, if you think I can do it."

"Of course you can do it! Don't hide your light under a bushel, Timothy. There are a lot of different jobs within an advertising agency; copywriter, illustrator, account executive, PR manager, just to mention a few. I have a big agency, you can try them all and find out what suits you best." The Bower Agency had an excellent reputation, and so there were a lot of marketing students and recent graduates who begged for internships. Usually, her recruiter would do the selection process without involving Angela, but if she sponsored someone nobody would even dare to say no.

"I read an article about your agency in Adweek Magazine last week. You're scheduled for an Award of the Advertising Association of America. That's impressive, Angela. I'd be honoured to work for you", he admitted. And it was the truth, he was deeply impressed. "What was that for again?"

"Uhm, a campaign we conducted for the Philology Association to promote reading among young Americans. Well, I got you to read Jane Austen even without my campaign", she joked.

"Yes, you did!" he smiled back, "when is the ceremony going to take place?"

Without knowing, Timothy had hit Angela's most vulnerable spot, and it instantly changed her mood. Her facial features turned to stone, she pursed her lips and her body stiffend. She inhaled deeply and answered in a low voice. "The upcoming weekend."

"Are you excited about it?" In his urge to keep up the conversation he didn't realize he was hurting Angela with his question.

"Yes."

The taciturnity of her answers should have told Timothy to change the subject but he wanted to learn more about business Angela for he was so fascinated about this woman's professional success. Most women her age he knew were mothers and housewives, caring for their families and doing no more than charity work at their communities, but none of them was a big shot in the grand-scale business world, negotiating multi-million dollar contracts and employing dozens of people. So he went on drilling her with questions.

"This will be an important day for your agency and for you, I suppose."

"Uh-huh."

Angela became evermore reticent about the ceremony. She was struggling not to burst out into tears in front of Timothy, who, on the one hand, was not very experienced in reading a woman's feelings from her face, and, on the other hand, couldn't think of a reason for her to be so downhearted about the event.

"What's the matter, Angela? You don't seem to be very happy about it", Timothy asked with a compassionate voice.

"He won't be there", Angela said bitterly, "Tony's not gonna come to New York with me."

Her voice broke and a single tear was now running down her cheek. The brief diversion the chat with Timothy had provided, hadn't healed any of the pain she was suffering from because of Tony's refusal to escort her.

"You can't be serious! Why wouldn't he be joining you?"

"The ceremony is on the weekend of the friendly game against the Iowa Hawkeyes and he says he has to go to Des Moines with you guys instead", Angela explained.

Timothy looked at her and was startled about the sadness and pain her entire demeanor revealed. She looked as vulnerable and hurt as during the night at the parking lot, when he had first made her personal acquaintance. He felt the urge to soothe her pain, to make her feel better, and wasn't aware that despite his selfless ulterior motives he was taking advantage of her unstable emotional condition.

He touched her upper arms, stepped closer, leaned in, and, after hesitating shortly, which was a sign of his insecurity, kissed her on the lips ... cautiously and low-keyed. Only as she didn't pull back, he got a bit more daring and intensified his kiss. He closed his eyes and drank in every sensation; the warmth of her lips, the smoothness of her kiss, the saltiness of her tears, and the intoxicating sweetness of her scent. Was she really responding to his kiss? He believed himself to be beamed into the Garden of Eden, into paradise, on cloud nine; wherever the most exhilarating spot on this planet might be. They kissed! His dreams had come true.

Her not putting a stop to him made him bolder and more confident. He didn't realize he had caught her in a moment of weakness because of her ongoing fight with Tony about the ceremony, that her defense mechanisms were out of service because of her fiancé's rejection, that she would've never allowed him to kiss her had she been emotionally stable. The somewhat inexperienced young man, inexperienced when it came to deep, true love, for he had only been in purely physical relationships until now, completely misinterpreted Angela's signals. He took them for consent, but they were rather an expression of helplessness. So he moved along, his body being controlled by his libido now, for he had never been aroused like this by the touch of a woman; not physically but deeply within his heart. He didn't feel the arousal in his groin but in his stomach; millions of butterflies seemed to dance in his tummy and it made him excited and agitated and impassioned and ... wanting for more.

He stepped closer, pressed his body to hers until they hit the wall behind Angela, another few inches closer until he could hardly breathe anymore, then he surrendered to his yearning to touch her more intimately, something he had been longing for but had always forbidden himself to do for so long; but not today, not right now! He slipped his hand under the hem of her thin knitted cardigan and let it slide across her firm and flat stomach. He felt her body stiffen and again misinterpreted this as a sign of enjoyment, so he moved his hand higher until he reached her breast. It was unbelievably soft although the lace bra prevented him from touching her bare skin. He had never held anything more delightful in his hand. He cupped it gently and when Angela sharply sucked in her breath, he knew exactly what he wanted to do next.

"I love you, Angela', he whispered breathlessly into her ear, "and I want to make love to you!"

He was still so intoxicated by the sweetest sentiments he'd ever experienced in his life, by this overwhelming warmth which was pulsating through his entire body, that his brain didn't notice right away what his body and ears were exposed to right after what he had just said. Angela hadn't fought his kiss, she had hesitated a moment when he had touched her breast, but she reacted within a second after his daring confession.

"What?" she screamed and pushed him away brusquely, "what did you say?"

Timothy's eyes were still closed and the deliciousness of their kiss was still lingering on his lips, so her outcry had sounded as if uttered through a huge cotton ball; his ears had heard it but his brain hadn't processed the information yet. He was still in a sublime mood and hadn't taken her words for what they were; a pledge to stop.

"You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you." He felt secure enough to open his heart to her completely now. "I want to sleep with you, Angela, like I've never wanted to sleep with a woman before."

"You can't be serious!" Angela grabbed his shoulders, shaking him out of his trance-like state. "Timothy, look at me! Listen to what you've just said! That's crazy! You can't love me, I'm so much older than you are!"

Her shaking and hysterical voice pulled him out of the depths of his sweet retreat. He opened his eyes and looked into Angela's puzzled face. She stared at him incredulously, wanting him to tell her that this was no less than a terrible misunderstanding; but he wasn't willing to give up that easily. She wanted an explanation? She would get an explanation!

"I don't care that you're older than me. I was never interested in the girls my age. They don't stir my blood the way you do. You're great, you're beautiful, you're enchanting ... you're so damn attractive!" With his last words he once again approached her but Angela put her hands up in an act of self-defense to preserve some distance between herself and Timothy.

"Stop it, Timothy! Please!" She put her hands in front of her face, "this can't be happening! I don't believe this is really happening."

Finally, Timothy began to realize this wouldn't be going the way he wanted it to. He wouldn't make love to Angela, this much information his brain had transferred to his libido already. A huge wave of disappointment and sadness overwhelmed him. He wasn't stupid or anything. He knew what a rebuff was like, he had turned down many girls himself.

"Well, I guess my feelings for you aren't reciprocated the way I hoped them to be", he described the obvious in a helpless wish she would tell him he was wrong; but she didn't.

"Timothy ... you're a bright, good-looking and very gentle young man. You'll find someone who loves you the way you deserve."

"But I don't want _some_one. I want you!" Timothy replied sulkily like a toddler who didn't want to be send to bed. "Why can't _you_ love me?" he almost begged her.

Angela swallowed hard. There was no other way but to tell him the truth, even if she had to break his heart with it. "Because ... I'm in love with another man", she reasoned.

"A man who treats you like shit!" Timothy spit out in disgust, "who makes you live in this wasteland here although you're miserable. Who keeps you away from your agency although you belong there. Who doesn't escort you to this award ceremony although you're wishing for nothing else to happen! Is this the guy who you are in love with?"

"Oh, Timothy. You don't know anything about Tony's and my relationship."

"Is that so? Then ... explain it to me because I don't understand why you're holding on to someone who doesn't completely commit himself to you."

Angela realized there was no way out of this without revealing at least some aspects of their unorthodox and unique relationship. Timothy had to understand that her heart belonged to Tony despite they were sailing in rough waters at the moment as a couple.

"Tony and I have been through more than one little crisis, we will survive this one as well", she started.

"With you giving in all the time and making his life easy?" What did the Coach do to her to make her so yielding?

"No", Angela conceded, "definitely not! It's been the other way around for many years actually." Angela looked into a questioning face for Timothy didn't understand what she was talking about. How could he? An Italian macho like his Coach, working as a housekeeper, would never come to his mind. "All the years we lived together in Fairfield, Tony cared for the household and looked after the kids so that I could only focus on my work."

"You have kids?" Timothy asked bewildered.

"Not together, from our previous marriages. Tony has a daughter and I have a son. Without him at my side to support me I would never be where I am right now professionally. A huge part of the success of the Bower Agency is owed to him. So it was about time I paid him back some of the sacrifices he had made for me. That's why I'm here." She took a deep breath. "Understand?"

Timothy didn't understand completely because Angela had only given him a limited insight of her relationship to Tony. It was too complex, too weird even, to explain to an outsider, but it was also too intimate. Their very own journey from a business relation to friendship and finally love was nothing she cared to share with others. She knew that Tony wasn't embarrassed about his past as a housekeeper, although it hadn't always been easy to stand the people's looks when he had told them about his job, but she didn't see a reason why all of Branford should know everything about his previous employment.

"Sort of", Timothy murmured, "I guess I just have to accept your rebuff. ... I think I should be leaving now." He was downhearted and wanted to sort out his feelings in privacy.

"Yes", Angela agreed, "I think you should."

"I'm sorry if I overstepped a border."

"There's no need to be sorry for showing your feelings, Timothy. Keep that in mind. There will always be the chance that your feelings aren't reciprocated if you tell someone you love him, but that should never let you keep your feelings for yourself. Believe someone who's made that mistake for many years."

With this, she ushered him outside and shut the door behind him. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. What had she done? She couldn't believe it. She hadn't pushed him away instantly when he had started to kiss her. Why? She had let him touch her. How could that have happened? Only his uttered wish to make love to her had pulled her out of her inertia. A huge wave of guilt washed over her. She felt as if she had betrayed Tony, which she hadn't if one looked at it objectively. It had only been a single kiss, not even a French kiss, and she hadn't been aroused; but what had gotten into her to let it flow? To let him touch her so intimately? Why hadn't she listened to what her mother had told her in the first place? Did she want it to happen subconsciously? Was she flattered by being courted by a younger man? Did she want to score off Tony because she felt so neglected by him? Did she want him to be jealous?

The thoughts were running amok in Angela's brain and she felt incapable of dealing with them right now. If only her mother was here, she badly needed a confidante right now! She had to get out of this place, she needed time to think, a person to talk to ... a person other than Tony! She couldn't possibly face him tonight as if nothing had happened; but she also couldn't possibly tell him about what had happened until she herself didn't fully understand why it had happened. As if she was remotely operated she went into the bedroom and started to throw pieces of clothes into a suitcase randomly and grabbed a few vanity items to put them in a wash bag. Then she returned to the living room and wrote a note for Tony.

_took an earlier flight to New York,_  
_see you Monday after the award ceremony,_  
_xo Angela_

It was neither very particularized information, nor a very compassionate complimentary close, but she just wasn't able to put it any other way. She was confused like never before in her life. She called a cab to the airport, took her coat from the rack, grabbed her suitcase and opened the door. Before she left, she hesitated a moment and had a look around the apartment, then she closed the door behind her.

* * *

On the dinner table, there still was the envelope with the airline ticket Angela had bought for Tony, the envelope which had been the reason for their fight and the trigger of the following events.

It was lying there like an accusing reminder of the perilous situation Tony and Angela had both maneuvered their relationship into ... and nobody could tell to which side the balance would tip.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Angela had been a nervous wreck on her flight to New York. She had left Iowa so hastily that she hadn't had enough time to even call her mother to pick her up at the airport. She had taken a cab all the way from La Guardia to Fairfield and still hadn't sorted out all her thoughts when she reached her house at 3344 Oak Hills Drive. When she had opened the door, Mona, who had been reading a Jackie Collins novel in the armchair in front of the fireplace, had been so startled that she had almost dropped the glass of wine she had been holding.

Being a mother plus having life-long experience when it came to love sickness, she had read from Angela's expression that something terrible had happened, and after being told the entire story, she commented on it in her very own, unique way of dealing with life's little dramas.

"Come on and join me for a glass of wine, ... _Miss Robinson_!" She winked at Angela and smiled mischievously, "I guess our last name makes us prey to younger lovers." She sighed in feigned distress. "Although, ... I've never seen it as a burden. I sure wouldn't push a vital, handsome, hunky college graduate out of my bed if he begged me to make love to him!" She grinned lustily.

"Mother! That's not helpful at all! We're not talking about some kind of Hollywood movie here but my life!" she chastised her. "What am I going to do?" Angela frantically rushed back and forth between the stairs and the sofa.

"You know what? That reminds me of the day I was sitting in the kitchen with Tony, after he had slept with Kathleen. He kinda felt the same way you do right now!"

"Yeah, well, we weren't a couple back then, so the situation was different. He didn't betray me in the literal sense of the word!"

"Granted, but neither did you! You didn't sleep with Timothy or are having an affair with him. All you did was letting him kiss you."

"And touch me."

"So what? So he touched your breast! There's not so much to touch anyway." Angela's grim look made Mona continue hastily. "I wouldn't call that betrayal. Timothy took advantage of you in a moment of weakness, and Tony himself isn't completely innocent either. He more or less pushed you into this boy's arms. He isn't stupid, Angela. He saw what was going on in front of his eyes. He was just too glad to see you entertained and taken care of because it eased his guilty conscience for having neglected you. So stop your self-flagellation and take it for what it is ... a warning sign for both of you. You can't go on like this, I think this much has become clear. I told you many weeks ago but you didn't want to listen. Now that the milk is spilt, take a cloth and wipe it up!"

Angela let that sink in for a moment. Then she said, "Maybe you're right, Mother."

"Of course I am!"

"But how am I going to explain all this to Tony?" Angela was desperate. "Oh, how I wish he would come for the ceremony. I would have it off the chest before that evening then."

"Angela, this will be _your_ evening, whether Tony will be there or not! You worked almost 20 years for this, 20 hard years I might add. I want you to enjoy this and I'm going to help you!" She smiled in pleasant anticipation and rubbed her hands. "I will take you on a shopping tour through New York's most exclusive boutiques, I will type your speech, I will come to the Waldorf Astoria as your moral support, and ...", she paused shortly to lead her trump card, "I will hire you the most handsome escort there is. I want Tony to be green from envy when he sees the pictures of you in Adweek Magazine and the splendid young man at your side that I'm going to pick out for you. We are Robinsons after all and have a reputation to keep!"

Angela had to laugh now. Her mother's teasing could be annoying at times, but she also always knew how to raise her spirits.

"Thank you, Mother. What would I do without you?"

"Well, Dear, you wouldn't be born without me, so face it, you will always have to deal with me, whether you like it or not." She grinned, raised her glass, they clinked, and Angela, for the first time in hours, started to relax and looked forward to the upcoming Saturday evening.

* * *

The next few days were completely taken up by the preparations for the award ceremony, and they kept Angela distracted from the complicated situation her relationship to Tony was in. She needed a new dress, she spent a lot of time on her acceptance speech, and had to align her staff for the evening. This kept her emotions about Tony bottled up for most of the time but the closer the ceremony approached, the sadder and more miserable she became. They hadn't spoken at all since she had left Branford. Angela had hoped that Tony might call and ask her why she had gone to New York early, but he hadn't. Then again she was relieved that he hadn't called for she wouldn't know what to say to him.

The long-awaited night of the award ceremony had finally come and Angela had started getting dressed in the afternoon. They had to be at the Waldorf Astoria at 7pm but had to consider that traffic in downtown New York might be bustling. As awardee of the Outstanding Achievement Award Angela was a guest of honor and would be officially welcomed by the Association's president, Walter Atkinson, so she definitely didn't want to show up late. She was sitting in front of her vanity, her hair in a skillful up-do, her subtle make-up applied already, in an evening gown which had taken countless shopping trips to find. It was flame-red, figure-accentuating, floor-length with a little train and made of flowing, silky fabric with a plunging neckline which left her shoulders bare. When she had first tried it on, she had instantly felt like a movie star and hadn't hesitated even a second about buying it despite it being insanely expensive; but now even the dress couldn't raise her spirits. She was sitting in the middle of her bedroom downhearted and stared into the mirror. Her emotions were all mixed up; she was looking forward to the evening ahead of her but also dreaded it. She would receive the most important award her industry had to bestow but she would be on her own; Tony would be far away pursuing his own job. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and told herself, "your life's a mess, Angela", and sighed.

"No, it is not, Dear", Mona said from where she was standing in the door frame. She walked up to her until she stood right behind Angela. She put her hands on her shoulders and said, "You look fantastic, Angela. Tony will be so angry with himself when he has to accept that he missed seeing you in this dream dress!" She surveyed Angela's appearance from head to toe, then added, "just one more thing and it will be perfect." With this she laid a three-row pearl necklace around her daughter's neck and closed the clasp at the back.

Angela gasped, "The necklace Daddy gave you for your wedding?"

"He would be so proud of you", Mona smiled kindly, "with this necklace a part of him will be with you tonight."

"Thank you, Mother! Thanks for everything."

Mona was still standing behind Angela and looked into the mirror to meet her eyes. "Sweetheart, what's up with you? This is going to be _your_ night tonight. You shouldn't let anything, ... or rather any_body_ spoil it."

"Easier said than done. Up to this morning, I hoped that Tony would come or at least call. Why didn't he call me, Mother? Doesn't he know that I'm waiting for him to call?"

"Well, Angela, _you_ were the one who left unexpectedly. Imagine you come home, the house is empty and you only find a short note. Maybe he isn't sure about what you want him to do? Maybe he thinks you came to New York earlier because you wanted to be left alone? When you get back to Branford on Monday, you have to talk to him, Dear. Tell him that you cannot go on like this, and that you want to go back to work. I'm not sure whether he is completely aware of how unhappy you really are."

"I know, ... " Angela's voice was shaking.

"What are you so afraid of, Dear?"

"I'm afraid of losing him! I can't imagine my life without Tony, Mother."

"What makes you think you might lose him?" Mona asked blankly.

"That I'm not able to be the woman at his side, like he wants. I tried to be a housewife, I really did! I even learned how to cook, but ..." Angela hesitated.

"But what?" Mona insisted although she already knew the answer. Letting the opportunity go to make a joke about her cooking skills almost alarmed Mona; if she thought that teasing Angela was uncalled for right now, then she really must be in trouble.

"I don't want to be one. I'm not made for this kind of life ... having no other goal but taking the load up for my husband, cleaning up after him, ironing his shirts, cooking dinner, ... I couldn't be a wife like this for Michael and I obviously can't do it for Tony either", Angela concluded bitterly.

"I see."

Now that the dam had broken, everything lying heavily on Angela's mind for weeks just gushed out. "It doesn't satisfy me the way working at the agency does. Actually, it bores me to death. I need the challenge of my work, I need the pressure of a tight agenda, I need the sense of achievement when a client is happy with a campaign we've drafted. It took me while to find that out about myself but it's the truth, I have to accept it."

"And what's so bad about that, Angela?"

"That I went to Iowa to support Tony in the first place, that I wanted to return some of what Tony had given to me all these years. His career should have been the top priority and I wanted to step back with mine. Seems as if I'm not able to live up to my very own intentions." Angela was relentless concerning her own shortcomings. "Tony deserves a spouse who supports him unconditionally and not some selfish workaholic who turns into a bored, dissatisfied and nagging creature once out of her office environment", she uttered through clenched teeth.

"Now you're really being stupid! Tony chose to propose to you, and he knew you fairly well after so many years in this house before he did. He fell in love with you despite all your ... uhm, ... obnoxious idiosyncrasies." Mona flashed her a sugar sweet smile. "He loves you the way you are, Angela! He knew from the start that you're not a gifted, devoted housewife and would never be one. That might even be a personal trait he particularly likes about you. Have you ever tried to see it this way?"

Angela only shrugged her shoulders, and was more confused than ever.

"Do I have to remind you that _you_ were the one who pushed him into accepting this job offer?" Mona went on, "Tony didn't want to go because he didn't want to force a way of life on you that you're not made for. Maybe you wanted to see yourself morph from business woman into housewife even more than he did, but things won't develop the way you want them to just because you're using the sledgehammer method, Angela. A tiger will never turn into a pussy cat, no matter how badly you want it to."

Mona could see that her words had unsettled Angela and that wasn't exactly the inital effect she had intended to evoke when she had come to her daughter's bedroom with the pearl necklace in hand, so she tried to calm the waves again by showing her a way out.

"Be that as it may, Angela, Tony loves you and I'm sure he won't give up so easily. If the two of you have an honest talk, you'll work something out. If Tony had wanted a dull housewife as a fiancée, he would've never chosen you ... because that's not what you are, and he knows."

"Do you really think so, Mother?"

"Yes, I do!" Mona wanted to put an end to this for there wasn't a solution to the dilemma at the moment anyway. "Okay then, that's enough of a therapy session for today. If you don't stop frowning like this right now, you'll look like a fifty-year old spinster on the press photos, despite your nice makeup and that gorgeous dress. Come on, let's show these fossils of the Advertising Association that a long-legged blonde can do far more than just be nice to look at."

"I guess you're right!" Angela nodded to her mother's reflection in the mirror.

"You bet I'm right!"

Angela stood up, straightened her back, took a deep breath and checked her appearance one last time in the mirror. Then she smiled at her reflection, gave her mother one more nod, linked arms with her and said, "Let's go!"

* * *

Everything had worked out fine. Mona had rented a limo which had taken them right on time to the Waldorf Astoria. They even had a glass of champagne on their way, which had eased Angela's mind a bit and had helped her to put away all the bleak thoughts, at least for a short time. Upon their arrival, Angela was officially welcomed by the honorable long-time president of the Advertising Association, who embraced her cheerfully and ushered her to her table.

Angela enjoyed the event. She met a lot of fellow ad execs, among them some former colleagues from Wallace & McQuade. The grim face of Jim Peterson, her successor as president of the agency she had once worked for, made her rejoice inwardly. It had to be hard for him to watch his long-term rival receiving this prestigious award. She'd overtaken him with the presidency at Wallace & McQuade, she'd overtaken him with more than one campaign pitch with her own agency, and she'd again overtaken him with this award. It gave her a feeling of satisfaction and self-esteem like she had missed during all her time in Iowa. She felt as if she'd come home. This circle of people was like a family to her; they spoke the same language, they shared the same interests, and they aspired toward the same goals. During her extensive small-talk she was surprised by how many people asked her where she had been or told her they had missed her. She wouldn't have thought that her absence would be noticed this much by her business community.

After the small-talk and getting-together part of the evening, the award presentation began. The Association honored a lot of people from the advertising industry for various achievements, so the ceremony lasted for more than three hours. Because the Outstanding Achievement Award was supposed to be the highlight of the banquet, The Bower Agency was the last recipient of the evening, which meant that Angela, as well as her staff, had to suppress their excitement and exercise patience. Then, finally, Walter Atkinson, the Association's president for as long as Angela could remember, took the few steps up to the little stage. It was his privilege to present the last award and give the laudatory speech to its awardee.

Angela listened to what the grey-haired man, one of the old-hand advertising gurus of the country, told the audience about her agency and herself. She almost couldn't believe her ears for Walter spoke so highly of her that she first thought he spoke of somebody else and she had been mistaken with some other ad exec and invited only by accident. But then, at some point he beckoned her over to join him on the stage and concluded his speech with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome one of the most talented advertising executives I've ever met and this year's recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award, Angela Bower." With these words he started to clap his hands enthusiastically and smiled broadly.

Joy and pride were the only sentiments which occupied Angela's body. At this very moment, she had managed to bury the ingrained sadness for Tony not being there far down somewhere in her conscience; this was _her_ night and _she_ was going to enjoy it! As she approached the stand on the stage, Walter shook her hand and said, "Congratulations, Angela. Truly deserved. America and the Philology Association thank you for your wonderful campaign and the effect it has on our youth." He kissed her on both cheeks and handed her the statue. He motioned her to approach the microphone, "Please."

Angela straightened her back. She was an experienced speaker and wasn't nervous. Speaking in front of large audiences didn't frighten her but pushed her to be at her best; she had aura, she had charisma, she had a strong voice and she knew how to emphasize her feminine charms as well; the dress she wore surely fulfilled that purpose. She was standing on the stage, with the statue in hand, smiling enchantingly until the applause slowly died away. Everyone in the room was related to the advertising industry in one way or the other, and literally everyone had come across the campaign that The Bower Agency was honored for. It had been talked of for weeks on Madison Avenue. Moreover, Angela was a well-known and well-respected member of the advertising community, so everyone was happy for her and showed it with enthusiastic applause; Jim Peterson was the only one who quarreled with the Association's decision but even he had to admit that Angela was a worthy recipient for this particular award.

"Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen", she began her speech, "for your kind applause. Thank you to the American Association of Advertising for this award. I would be lying if I told you that this is no big deal for me. It is! I've dreamed of this particular award since I first started to work as a copywriter for Sky Advertising many, many years ago. When I became president of Wallace & McQuade, I thought I had reached the top rung of the career ladder. Well, ... most of you know that I didn't spend too much time up there." Angela's last remark incited some laughter in the audience - Jim Peterson could be heard in particular - for most of the people knew about the 8-million-dollar toilet paper account which had been sunk under her supervision. "Founding The Bower Agency has been the biggest adventure of my life, and the most satisfying. Times were rough at the beginning, but with the support of my family and my devoted staff we managed to pull through. And now this!" She raised the award and looked at it. "This is the reward for many hours of dedicated work to an honorable cause. When the Philology Association came to us to talk about a campaign to promote reading among teenagers, I was absolutely thrilled. Being a bookworm myself, I had it already outlined by the time the first briefing was over. Needless to say, that I didn't do that on my own but together with my creative, talented and hard-working staff."

Angela looked around the audience, trying to spot some of her staff members. "First of all my wonderful art director Peter ..."

She suddenly paused in the middle of the sentence, not because she was surprised to make out Peter Jennings in the crowd, her long-term AD, but because of the man who was standing a few yards behind him, in the rearmost corner of the ballroom. Her heart jumped for joy. It really was him! Tony! He was leaning against the wall, dressed in a tuxedo, his left hand in the pocket of his pants, the right he put to his heart the moment their eyes met. Angela couldn't help but smile the broadest smile, her heart had begun to pound against her ribcage. He hadn't let her down! He had chosen to leave his team alone and to come to New York! All the tension that had built up since she had fled from their apartment after having kissed Timothy, fell off of her in an instant. She felt uplifted, cheery and incredibly relieved.

"Everything alright, Angela?" the Association's president, who was still joining her on the stage, asked her preoccupied, "aren't you feeling well?" He laid his hand on her back because he was a bit worried she might faint.

Angela cleared her throat. "Uhm, ... no, Walter, I'm okay! I'm feeling better than ever actually", she murmured to him, then continued to address the audience, "Sorry, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the short interruption. I guess I'm easier to baffle than I thought." She once again smiled, then she took a deep breath and went on with her speech. It wasn't so easy to memorize the words she had prepared because her thoughts kept drifting away from advertising to the man in the tuxedo at the back of the room. 'Come on, Angela! Pull yourself together and bring this to a professional close', she silently urged herself. "Where was I? ... Ah, yes, special thanks to my wonderful art director Peter Jennings, who's been working with me for almost two years now. He was the one in charge of this campaign and without his committed work, it would've never come out so perfectly. And I mustn't forget Jack Ballantine of course, my vice-president who's been with The Bower Agency since almost day one; he was my first employee in fact. Well, I have to say, first employee who wasn't a family member."

"Thanks for setting that right, Blondie!" was shouted from the direction where Mona was sitting. The entire audience burst out into laughter.

"Thank you, Mother, for showing me the respect I deserve for being your boss!" More laughter. Years of practice had made Angela a good enough wit to provide a good retort to her mother's unrehearsed punch line.

Angela was almost through with her speech. After thanking her staff she had actually planned to make a short closing remark before leaving the stage but Tony's unexpected attendance made her add a few more impromptu words.

"Before I leave and let you all enjoy the extraordinary buffet, I would like to use the opportunity to thank someone I'm delighted to see here tonight." Angela's voice suddenly wasn't as strong and self-confident any more but started to shake a bit. She cleared her throat and looked at Tony. Although he was standing about 25 yards away, they locked eyes. "This person is very special to me. Without him, The Bower Agency wouldn't even exist. During my most difficult time as an ad exec, he backed me up and gave me credit for establishing my own agency. And ever since that day, he has encouraged me, supported me, celebrated with me, and comforted me when necessary. I could always count on him. He not only made my life easier but also a lot happier. Thank you, Tony, for being there for me whenever I needed you. I would be nothing without you. And ... thank you so much for coming tonight." With the last words, her voice broke.

The entire audience had fallen silent for a short moment because of Angela's emotional and heartwarming speech; but Tony was not only silent, he was petrified. The people standing around him looked at him for it was obvious that he was the person being addressed. Someone even patted him on the shoulder. Tony kept staring at Angela; he watched her picking up the short train of her gorgeous red evening gown, linking arms with the grey-haired man on the stage, taking the little staircase down into the audience, accepting handshakes, embraces and kisses on the cheek from many people; one elderly gentleman even bowed in front of her and kissed her hand. Microphones were held under her nose and flashlights illuminated her face.

Tony could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He had expected her to be pleased by his presence but not to be mentioned in her acceptance speech, above all not lauded with such personal and sentimental words. He noticed that Angela tried to thread her way through to him but was stopped every few feet by someone else who wanted to congratulate her. Every now and then they managed to establish eye contact for a few seconds but then another person engaged her in a conversation or pulled her into an embrace. It took her almost 20 minutes to reach the spot Tony had been glued to since he first got there.

They stood in front of each other, speechless for a moment. None of them was aware of all the other people surrounding them any more, some observing them, and trying to find out what the heartfelt words of the awardee had been about. Angela was the first who was able to speak, even if only fragmentarily.

"Tony!" She beamed at him. "Hi."

"Hi Angela."

"When did you get here?"

"I arrived just in time to hear this older gentleman heap praise on you." Tony knew she was good in what she did, but he hadn't been aware that she was so deeply respected within her business community.

"Oh."

"I was sitting on the coach's bench at Hawkeye Stadium in Des Moines", he went on recounting the course of events of his day, "when suddenly I felt the irresistible urge to use that airline ticket you had left on the table before you went to New York. I rushed directly to the airport and just made it in time to board the plane. The flight was delayed and traffic between Newark and the city was insane, so I arrived here at the very last moment."

"You went to a baseball game in a tuxedo?" Angela asked surprised.

Tony chuckled. "No, of course not! There's a men's clothier at the airport with a surprisingly abundant stock. I think I heard my credit card moan when the sales clerk slid it through", he sighed. He hadn't had the time nor the nerves to bargain with the clerk or to try to find a cheaper solution. He had boarded the flight in his dusty baseball attire. The sales clerk had screwed up his nose at first when Tony had entered the exclusive store but had relaxed and shown him a huge smile when Tony had shouted, 'I need a tux, quick! Don't care about the price, just robe me, okay!'

"I see," Angela stammered, "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."

"Oh, actually, you already did, Angela! And you not only told _me_ but a few other people as well." He grinned and looked around the ballroom.

Angela blushed. Only now did she once again become aware of all the other guests.

"Right, ... uhm, maybe we should continue this later _entre nous_. I'm afraid there are a couple of journalists waiting for me right now; but if you invite me for a drink at the bar later, I might even give you my room number", she whispered with a seductive ring to her voice and raised an eyebrow.

"Ahhh, that's good, Angela", he replied, then added low-keyed and equally suggestive, "because I haven't had the time to make hotel arrangements, ... uh, nor to pack some pyjamas", he whispered breathlessly into her ear.

He looked deeply into her eyes and Angela swallowed hard. The chemistry between them was palpable and although none of the bystanders had overheard the last words, everyone could tell that these two shared a very intimate moment.

* * *

Mona was standing at the opposite side of the ballroom and had watched the entire scene from afar. She didn't need to be close to literally see the sparks flying between Tony and Angela. She let out a deep sigh of relief. "You made the right decision to come here, Buddy. Late, but better late than never", she said to herself and smiled contentedly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Angela and Tony were in an elevator up to the 43rd floor of the Waldorf Astoria, where the suite was located Angela had rented for the night of the ceremony. The elevator operator, a lean young boy in his early twenties, in a dark blue uniform with golden buttons and a round cap, kept a straight face although this couple had aroused his curiosity. They had entered his elevator with a lot of other people on the ground floor but now that they had almost reached the top, they were the only two left. She looked gorgeous in that flame-red, skin-tight, off-the-shoulder evening gown and he was handsome and virile in his tuxedo. She held a statue in her hand, so they obviously had been at the banquet of these advertising people in the Vanderbilt room; he had heard that they were giving away some awards there. The man was a bit weird, though. He held a crumpled paper bag in his hand with the logo of Newark Liberty International Airport on it and ... wait! ... were these baseball shoes? They were black, so they didn't strike so much attention right away but ... yes, this guy, who was escorting this beautiful, perfectly dressed lady in red high heels matching her gown, had sports shoes on his feet to go with his tuxedo!

The lift boy had to suppress a smile. Despite his young age he was already very experienced and had a good knowledge of the human nature. He had been a high school dropout when his uncle, who was a receptionist at one of the most famous hotels of the world, had put in a good word for him, so he had started to work as an elevator operator at the Waldorf Astoria at the age of just 16 and had done so ever since. He had seen a lot of elder, affluent, well-off business men hustling young, beautiful girls up to their exclusive rooms, but this couple was different, although it was quite obvious what these two were up to. The man had gently pushed the woman into the corner of the elevator right behind him and couldn't keep his hands off her. As if he wouldn't notice what was going on behind his back; didn't these people know that elevator operators indeed did have eyes at the back of their heads? The lift boy shook his head barely visible. He could hear them whispering and rustling behind him and his inner cinema had been switched on. The woman was all giggly and repeatedly admonished him "Tonyyy!" in a low-key manner; he obviously whispered suggestive remarks into her ear or caressed her intimately. So the whole situation actually was unambiguous but still, the boy had the vague feeling that they weren't anything like the usual couples he guided up to their rooms in his elevator. She was far too classy to be a stupid chick in search of a loaded geezer to keep her for a while, and he seemed to be really fond of her and not only eager to take her to bed for a one-night stand. This was what he loved his job for; witnessing life in every aspect, especially the the lives of a social class he usually didn't get into contact with, the society people who could afford to stay at the Waldorf Astoria. After all these years of working in an elevator to the upper floors where the exclusive suites were located no human character trait was alien to him any more.

Bing!

"43rd floor", the lift boy said in a businesslike manner. As nothing happened, he turned around and found the couple kissing passionately in the corner of the elevator, both totally absorbed in one another, not noticing anything of what was going on around them. He coughed slightly. An embarrassed "Oh!" slipped out of the woman's mouth, and the man just grinned and cleared his throat, then they left the elevator, he yielding to her. When they passed the lift boy the man said, "Thanks, Pal!" and the boy answered well-trained, "You're very welcome, Sir. Ma'am", and nodded. The couple left the elevator, the man laid his arm around the woman's waist and they had already walked a few steps when the lift boy suddenly spotted the paper bag on the elevator's floor.

"Excuse me, Sir. You forgot your ... uhm ... suitcase", he cat-called at them, struggling at bit to stay earnest.

The man came to a halt, stood still for a second, then turned around and walked back towards the elevator door which the lift boy propped open. He handed him the crumpled bag, resisting to glimpse inside - this was the Waldof Astoria after all, complete discretion was demanded for - so he looked into the man's eyes as if it was the most natural thing to carry your luggage in a paper bag instead of a Louis Vuitton leather suitcase which were much more common up here. The man held the boy's look and carried on their little charade.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it", he had a look at the boy's name tag, "Kyle. What would I do without my uhhh, ... luggage."

Kyle smiled slightly, tapped the brim of his cap and replied, "Always at your service, Sir." He was having so much fun with this guy and, moreover, he would have a great story to tell in the staff's lounge on his next coffee break.

The funny man turned on the spot, slowly strolled back to his waiting lady, joyfully swinging the paper bag around his index finger. The lift boy couldn't help but keeping the lift door open a bit more; his curiosity had exceeded the code of honor by now. So he saw how the couple fell into each other's arms as soon as he had reached her and burst into laughter.

"You know what this reminds me of, _Irv_?" the woman asked. Irv? Hadn't she called him Tony in the elevator?

"Sure, Mrs _Gladstone_", the man answered, roaring with laughter.

So they hadn't met tonight, the boy concluded from that little chat, but what were they? A long-term couple spicing up their relationship with some childish game? Or was one of them having an extra-marital affair with the other? Maybe his uncle would let him have a look at the registration data if he knew their room number, but he couldn't possibly wait any longer to get a clue, it would be far too inappropriate to go on looking after them. So he let go the button he had been pressing ever since the couple had left his elevator to keep the door open and sighed silently. But he was lucky; just before the door glided shut completely, the woman took the key card out of her purse and handed it to her escort who opened the door and let her go inside with the words, "After you, Sweetheart." Alright, room number 4305, and he got a name, Irving Gladstone, he would check that out as soon as his shift was over.

When Kyle had a look into the registration book some hours later he was very surprised to find no Mr Irving Gladstone but a Miss Angela Bower as the person who had made the reservation for suite 4305 and would be invoiced. This information left him dumbfounded and also annoyed because it meant no elucidation of this little mystery. Who was this Angela Bower? The man's secretary who covered her boss' extra-marital adventures? Or was she his wife, unaware of what he was doing on his business trips? But why did the woman in the red dress have the key card in her purse? Was she Angela Bower and paying for the suite? Was he the one being well-kept instead of her? This was so unsatisfying, but he had to accept that he would never find out the real story about these two.

Little did the lift boy know at that time that his curiosity would be satisfied eventually after all; that he would be told the story of the guy in a tuxedo with baseball shoes on his feet and a paper bag in his hand and the woman in the breathtaking red dress holding onto a golden statue only half a day later on his next coffee break by a young girl who had been waitressing in the Vanderbilt room during the banquet of the Advertising Association of America.

* * *

Tony shut the door of suite 4305 behind him. He was still laughing about his short interaction with the elevator operator. This whole day had been so weird that this seemed to be like a logical ending to it; he entering an exclusive suite of the Waldorf Astoria in a tuxedo and baseball shoes, reminded not to forget his 'luggage' by a boy who could almost be his son.

He chuckled, "Now this was funny, wasn't it? Just like the night after the Brooklyn Fair and the Love Tunnel, when we tried so desperately to find a quiet place to make out. Do you remember how awkward we felt in that motel? How nervous we were about our first time?"

"I wasn't nervous", Angela said calmly, and she wasn't laughing anymore, although she had also been entertained by Tony's little game with the lift boy. She knew that the time had come to tell Tony about Timothy.

"No?"

"No. ... I wanted to you to make love to me that night, Tony, but at some point I realized it was too early ... for you." She had been terribly disappointed that that particular night hadn't turned out the way she had wanted it to. The only good thing which had come out of it was the fact that they had confided in the rest of the family and didn't have to play hide-and-seek anymore. Their relationship had become much more relaxed after that but it had still taken them more than half a year until they had spent their first night together. Sometimes Angela thought that if she hadn't gone to Iowa they would have still been in a sexless relationship.

"Well, it's not too early for me tonight ...", he implied seductively, stepping up to her and pulling her close, but Angela put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him away; to Tony's complete surprise. They had kissed so passionately in that elevator that he thought she was up to the same thing as he was. He had missed her when she had been away from Branford, not only emotionally but also physically. And she just looked so goddamn sexy in that dress!

"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" he asked.

"Uhm, ... I have to tell you something, Tony", Angela said in an earnest tone.

Tony noticed that she was suddenly very tense, which gave him goosebumps for some reason he wasn't really sure about. Not yet. "Ooookaaay. What is it?" Angela turned away from him and took a deep breath. Tony, on his part, could hardly breathe anymore. "Angela, would you please tell me what's on your chest! I'm getting nervous here!" he demanded.

"Alright. Uhm, ... the day I left Branford to come to New York, ... well, ... something made me do that", she started. She didn't know how to tell him and was scared to death that he might misinterpret the whole incident.

"Yeeeees?" Only now, a light fear was beginning to crawl into Tony's conscience, like a little worm which slowly bites itself into an apple. He had observed Angela and Timothy getting closer and closer and had let things slide against his own better judgement because Angela had seemed so pleased with working on this marketing paper. And moreover, he had wanted Timothy back on his team as fast as possible. Had this been a terrible mistake? Had they become more than just tutor and student? He desperately wanted her to speak, but then again ... did he really want to know?

Angela bit her lower lip and breathed heavily. She intertwined her fingers and paced through the room.

"Now come on, spit it out, Angela! Does it have anything to do with Timothy showing up at our apartment that day?"

Angela turned around abruptly and stared at him. "You know that he was there?"

"I almost knocked him over on the stairs on my way to the gym after our stupid fight", Tony explained, "So it does have something to do with him! What did he do? Did he made a pass at you?"

Angela's jaw dropped and she looked at him with saucer eyes. "What gives you that idea?" Her pulse accelerated and her palms got sweaty.

"He's a young man, in the prime of his life, driven by testosterone. Hard to imagine he came to you only because of his sudden interest in Jane Austen and marketing", Tony stated.

Angela shook her head, "So you noticed it too. How come everybody noticed but me?"

"Everybody?" Tony didn't understand.

"Mother told me Timothy had a crush on me but I thought she was only teasing me, like she always does when it comes to men in my life. Why didn't you tell me anything if you saw it too?"

She had hit a wounded spot with this. Yeah, why hadn't he? Had he been glad to see her entertained? Had he been relieved to see someone else passing her spare time with her? Had he been glad to have a more pleased woman sitting at his kitchen table? Had he been grateful for her nagging less about him neglecting her? Had he been so arrogant as to think that no other man would ever challenge his place at Angela's side? He didn't know. He only knew that he had begun to dislike Timothy, and that his relationship to Angela had become evermore tense. He had felt reminded of all the nights Angela had dated other men while he had still been her housekeeper; like back then, there had been this growing feeling of jealousy without a comprehensible explanation and definitely without a good enough reason to confront her about it.

"I don't know."

"This is all so crazy", Angela paced through the hotel room so hysterically in her high heels that she repeatedly stepped on the train of her dress and almost stumbled. She angrily kicked the shoes off her feet; they flew through the room and landed somewhere out of sight.

"Would you now please tell me what happened that afternoon, Angela?! I'm having the weirdest ideas here!" Tony begged.

"Alright, ... Timothy, ... he, ... well, he ..." The words just wouldn't come out of her mouth.

"He _what_?" Tony screamed.

"Kissed me ..." Angela finally admitted ruefully, startled by his forceful outburst.

"Kissed you? On the mouth?"

"Yes", she whispered.

"And what did you do?" Tony wanted to know.

"I ... uhm, sorta let him."

"You _sorta_ let him. I see. Something else?"

"Yes", she said in a tearful voice, hardly audible.

"Am I allowed to ask what?" Tony instantly regretted the sarcastic way he had posed his question but he was unable to cope with the fear of what might come next.

"He ... touched me."

"Touched you. Okay. Where?"

Angela looked at him but remained silent. How could she tell him without leading him to wrong conclusions? She hadn't wanted it to happen. She hadn't enjoyed it either. How for all in the world could she make him understand?

"Where, Angela?" Tony insisted in the meanwhile, "Did he touch you intimately?"

Angela closed her eyes and swallowed. What a nightmare! There was no way in holding back anything anymore. "Yes, intimately. He ... slipped his hand under my shirt and ... moved it up to my ...", her voice broke.

"To youuur ...?" He looked questioningly at her although he knew the answer himself, "To your breast? Are you trying to tell that me he touched your breast? And what did you do? I hope you slapped him right in his face!" The perception of Timothy's hand on Angela's breast brought Tony's blood to a boil. Now he really was fuming with jealousy.

"I ... kinda let him", Angela whispered.

"That's great, Angela, just great! First, you _sorta_ let him kiss you, then you _kinda_ let him touch you! What am I supposed to think about all this?"

"Tony, listen to me! I never consciously encouraged Timothy, I don't feel anything other for him than friendship. I helped him with his papers because I thought I was helping you with it. I thought the sooner he was done with his scholastic obligations, the sooner you would have him back on your team. Okay, I admit that I enjoyed working with him on this commercial and you know how much I love Jane Austen, but I never, ever, had romantic feelings for him. You have to believe me!"

"Then why did you let all this happen?"

"I don't know. I was too confused after our fight to think straight, I guess. I felt rejected and let down by you because you wouldn't want to come to New York with me, and so I didn't completely realize what was happening until he ..." Angela stopped abruptly but it had been too late.

"He what? That still isn't everything?" Tony wanted to know.

"He said that he loved me and wanted to sleep with me", Angela answered hoarsely.

Now it was Tony's jaw which dropped and his eyes which were saucer-wide, "Is that supposed to be some silly joke?"

"No."

"And you ... _sorta_ or _kinda ..._ let that happen too?" Tony's heartbeat came to a halt for as long as it took Angela to answer his question.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed forcefully. Tony let out an enormous sigh of relief, and his heart slowly began to beat normally again.

"Okay, okay", Tony tried to calm himself but now he started pacing through the room. The cleats of his baseball shoes left deep imprints on the thick carpet, "So, you didn't sleep with him. Good", he said more to himself than to her.

"No, I didn't, I would've never done that. But obviously my ears were more connected to my brain than my body, because his confession woke me up instantly. I couldn't believe what he'd said. The whole situation was so surreal."

"And what did he do? Did he harass you? Because if he did, I'm gonna ..."

"No, he didn't", Angela put a stop to Tony's anger. "Actually, he reacted perfectly. When I told him that there would never be anything between us, he accepted it."

"Hard to believe. I know him as a very strong-willed and stubborn young man. You're not only protecting him, are you? He really didn't pester you?" If Timothy was a stalker who wouldn't take no for an answer, then Angela could be in trouble. And despite Tony still wasn't sure what all this meant for their relationship, he couldn't shed the protective instinct he had always been having with respect to Angela.

"I told him that I'm in love with someone else, that seemed to have opened his eyes", Angela tried to get a hold of Tony's arm for he was still frantically pacing through the room. "Honey!?"

Tony suddenly stood still, his back to her. Then he turned around and looked into Angela's eyes. The fury and the jealousy were gone and replaced by helplessness and worry. "What have we done wrong to let it get that far, Angela?" he asked. He was well aware that this hadn't been all her fault alone, he couldn't even blame Timothy. The boy had only pursued his own happiness. As a matter of fact, he was even a bit impressed by his courage to openly express his feelings and to make such a bold move; especially compared to himself who had needed seven years until he confessed his feelings for the very same woman.

"I really don't know, Tony, but I think we have to find out. I'm relieved to have it off my chest though. The last few days have been awful. After I had asked Timothy to leave that afternoon, I was completely confused. I didn't know what to do. I desperately needed someone to talk to, and the only person I could think of was Mother. So I just grabbed a few things, went to the airport and took the first flight out."

"What did Mona have to say to it?"

"Well, first thing she did was calling me Miss Robinson."

Tony had to chuckle, "Good old Mona! Never lets an opportunity pass for a saucy joke!" The allusion to the movie in which the college graduate Benjamin was seduced by the mature Mrs Robinson was indeed striking, he had to admit, even funny in some way. Now Angela couldn't prevent smiling either. The time her mother had made that remark, she had been very angry with her, but right now she was happy that it helped to ease the tension between Tony and her.

For a moment they only looked at each other, neither of them saying a word. Tony loosened his bow tie and undid the uppermost button of his shirt, he felt the sudden need to inhale deeply. Angela stood in the middle of the room, in that wonderful dress, shaky and lost. Nothing was left of the security and confidence she had displayed just a few hours earlier on the stage in the Vanderbilt room.

"You don't like Branford, do you?" It was time to do some frank talking, Tony had decided.

"I do like it, it's just ..." she started. Although Angela knew that the matter had to be addressed, she was afraid to do so. Her mother had told her that Tony didn't want her to be a selfless housewife but she wasn't so sure about it. He was Italian after all, raised in a typical Italian family where the man earned the bread and the woman stayed home with the kids; and Marie had been a perfect housewife, beloved spouse and loving mother to his daughter. She was nothing like Marie. How could a man love two women so entirely different equally much? Would he still love her, if she told him she wanted to go back to work, and that life as the spouse at his side didn't satisfy her? Angela was too afraid that the answer might be no, so she decided to not address this particular matter. But there was something else she was going to share with him. Something that might explain why she had been so susceptible to the attention of another man. So she finished her sentence, "it's just that I feel very lonely at times."

"Lonely? You said you were looking forward to the quiet and solitude, to not being pushed around by a tight agenda or pressured by campaign deadlines. Was that not true?"

"It was true and I did enjoy all this, ... at the beginning, but then eventually I found myself sitting in our apartment all alone after you had left for work, not knowing what to do with the rest of my day. I guess that's why I practically jumped on the opportunity to spend my time with college papers. Suddenly there was something and ... some_one_ ... I could share my afternoons with, someone I could talk to about other things than apple pie or the neighbor's new car, but I never saw the man in Timothy, only the student and friend."

"I thought I was your friend", Tony threw in.

"You are. You've been my best friend for ages, but you aren't there any more. Do you even realize how many times you stood me up for some unexpected practise or an unforeseen teacher's meeting? How many times you cancelled our plans for the weekend because of exams you had to mark or a hopeful young ballplayer you had to scout? And when I finally have you sitting at the dinner table, you hardly speak to me because you are so tired and before I'm out of the kitchen after doing the dishes you're already asleep on the sofa. That's not exactly what I pictured our togetherness to be like, Tony."

"But Angela, I'm not doing all this on purpose. I don't cancel or postpone our dates because I don't want to spend time with you but because my job demands it. I mean, you know yourself how much your job can keep you busy. I thought that especially you would understand that my job sometimes is number one priority and the family has to step back."

"Yes, you're right, I know, and Jonathan had to step back more than once because I was a working mother, and I know that I also cancelled numerous family dinners you had prepared when we were still in Fairfield, but maybe it's because I'm not used to having nothing much to do that I'm so dependent on you for keeping my company. Every time you cancelled on me, I felt rejected, Tony. I feel like a flower pot you put on the window sill to have something nice to look at whenever you think of it, and from time to you water it hence it doesn't die, but most of the time you just set it aside until you feel like looking at it again."

Angela's comparison with a flower pot made Tony's heart sink. Was she right? Had he really treated her like this? Like an inanimate item at his disposal? He had never felt this way as her housekeeper. He had always felt highly appreciated for what he did for her. How had she managed to make him feel like this despite all her business obligations? Especially taking into considertion that he had been the housekeeper after all, an employee, a dear employee, yes, but still an employee, whose prime task had been to ease his boss' life. If she had been able to show him how happy she was to have him near, why wasn't he able to show her in return how impressed he was that she had taken an hiatus from her agency just to be with him?

"You make me feel like a wife, Tony," Angela interrupted his musings, surprising him with this statement.

"Well, I hope so. You soon will be my wife."

"No, you don't understand. You make me feel like someone you take for granted, ... someone you need to have near, someone you enjoy coming home to, someone you know will be waiting for you; but I need to be more than that." Angela's voice broke with the last words. Tony could literally hear the amount of her pain and was struck by it. He had sensed some dissatisfaction coming from her and had been well aware that he had stood her up one time or another, but that she felt like taken for granted felt like a stab into his heart. Especially because in fact the exact reverse was true; she was such an extraordinary woman that he still sometimes asked himself why she had exactly chosen him and feared she might walk away without prior notice once she realized that he couldn't live up to the high standards she was used to.

"You are Angela, you _are_ more than that. You're everything to me. I love you and I've never taken you for granted. After Marie had died, I thought I could never love another woman like I had loved her, I had considered romance over and done with in my life. Then fate had guided me to your door step, to the girl I had kissed when I was a boy at summer camp and had never forgotten since then. And when I realized that I was slowly falling in love with you, my amazing boss, I refused to believe in us because I thought I already had my share of true love, there couldn't possibly be more for me in store. I know that it had taken me a long time to open my heart to you and to acknowledge to myself that I had indeed fallen in love with you, but once I had, I was in there for keeps."

Tony wasn't used to talking about his emotions and fears, so he was a bit surprised that these words had come out of his mouth so easily. Maybe it was because they came directly from his heart. And there was one more thing the had to make clear. "Angela, _Amore mio_, if I made you feel like a flower pot, I'm awfully sorry. That never was my intention at all. Quite to the contrary, all I ever wanted to do was to make you happy." He pulled her into a close embrace and was relieved she let him. Little did he know that calling her 'Amore mio', the Italian words for 'my Love', had been responsible for the most part. Angela loved that expression and had missed being called his 'Amore' for a long time.

"We can work this out, can't we?" Tony reassured her, but even more himself. "We _have_ to, Angela! I can't imagine my life without you. I would be lost without you. What can I do?"

"Well, I think talking will help, and being in the same room for a change is a good start." Her eyes started to fill with tears. She could feel that they were on the right track, that Tony had listened to what she had told him. Of course she hadn't told him yet that she felt lost without her work, that she was torn between the urge to go back to New York and the desire to be with him in Branford. 'One step at a time, Angela', she told herself. She couldn't remember when they had last been so closely connected and she didn't want to put the progress at stake they had just made with being all nagging and complaining. She would look for a way to be the coach's spouse and the agency's president at the same time, there had to be a solution to that problem and she would find it.

"So, ... he kissed you, huh?" Tony asked and approached her very closely, his nose almost touching hers, "Like this?" he asked challengingly and pressed his lips tenderly but with unambiguous determination on her mouth. He let his tongue move around demandingly, caressing hers, while gently cupping her face with his warm hands. He wanted this kiss to be the most sensitive, emotional and meaningful kiss she ever got. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him, and he wanted her to melt in his hands like butter.

"Uh-uh, ... no", Angela whispered, almost unable to speak at all. Even if she hadn't just decided to keep the rest of her distress to herself, she wouldn't have been able to address it now anyway for she was drowning in the sensation of this extraordinary kiss. She had never been kissed like this; with so much affection, with so much devotion, and with so much determination.

"Nooo?" Tony raised an eyebrow and feigned to be surprised.

Angela very slowly shook her head, fixating his eyes, unable to utter one more word.

"Alright." He was getting her where he wanted her to be but he wasn't through yet with his demonstration. There was one more thing he had to set straight. "Aaand ... he touched your breast?" He murmured in a seductive, deep voice while slowly trailing the neckline of her dress with his right index finger, caressing her soft cleavage, making her sensitive skin crawl in response, finally brushing the dress further down her left upper arm.

"Uh-huh." Angela's breathing came in shallow gasps now, she wasn't able to talk in coherent phrases anymore.

"Like this?" He slipped his hand under the silky fabric and cupped her left breast with his right hand. He touched it ever so gently, squeezing it so softly she could hardly feel it but the mere warmth of his hands made her squirm. Angela closed her eyes and moaned. She felt her brain slowly disconnect from her body; there was only physical sensation, no thinking any more. She surrendered to the pleasure of his skillful touch, an enjoyment she had missed for quite some time. "Oh!" Her knees weakened, her entire body felt feathery and time seemed to stand still. "Well, ... no. Not like this", she managed to say in a whisper.

"Good, ... because _I_ want to be the only man who makes you feel like this. Get it?" Tony assured her firmly. He pressed his groin area to her lower body, making her feel his arousal. Cold shivers flashed through Angela's body and made her tummy doing flip-flops in pleasant anticipation. She was struggling to stay still.

"Nobody ever made me feel that way, Tony."

"And nobody ever will, Angela! I won't allow anybody to make you feel the way I do. And now, ..." he pulled away from her and took her hand, "I'm going to show you how else I want you to feel when you're with me." With this he guided her to the bedroom and slowly closed the door behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The next morning, Tony was woken up by his body clock. When he had looked into the dumbfounded face of his assistant coach in Hawkeye Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa, not even 24 hours earlier, telling him that he was sorry but that he had to go, his inital plan had been to take the first flight back on Sunday morning, just like Angela had booked and paid for. If he got up right now, he would make it; but of course, he didn't. The evening had turned out other than he had expected, ... and so had the night. Their lovemaking had been all about understanding and forgiving, they had cherished each other, empathized with each other and shown each other their unconditional devotion. Tony had never felt closer to Angela, as if he had touched her heartstrings. There was no way he would sneak out of this warm, cozy bed now and leave her alone.

Tony turned toward Angela, who was still fast asleep beside him, and propped his head up to look at her. He watched her ribcage move rhythmically with every inhale and exhale, her bare shoulders peeking out from under the fluffy duvet. Her hair was tousled, her make-up gone and her jewellery was lying on the bedside table. He loved to see her like this; so natural, and so raw. The longer he looked at her, the more he had to think about what she had told him the night before, that he had made her feel like a neglected flower in a pot on his window sill. He shook his head. He had done far more to that flower than neglecting it. He had become aware of that when he had seen her on that stage, in that breathtaking red dress. She had been completely herself then, true and authentic; just like she was right now. If she really were a flower, he had never seen it blossom as beautifully as last night, as if it was endemic and would only thrive within this particular environment. He had not only neglected that unique flower on his window sill, but he had taken it out of its natural habitat, had put it in a pot and set it aside, just to have it near him, to possess it; like some obsessive flower hunter would do to complete his collection. It had to be only a question of time until that flower, lacking the natural ability to adapt to its new, alien environment, would eventually die, no matter how often he watered or fertilized it ... and it would be all his fault. This sudden realization struck him painfully. How could he have been so blind and insensitive? Why hadn't he seen how much Angela had been struggling with the unfamiliar circumstances of her new life? Why had it taken a half-baked college student to rub it under his nose?

Angela started to move beside him, which pulled him out of his accusative thoughts. She blinked, then opened her eyes and smiled happily when she saw him looking at her.

"Good morning", she said softly.

"Morning, Beautiful," Tony replied equally soft, "Sleep okay?"

"Wonderfully."

"That was some night, hugh?"

"It sure was." Angela caught a glimpse at the clock on his bedside table. "You missed your flight."

"You weren't honestly thinking that I would leave at dawn after a night like this, were you?" he said, twisting a tendril of her blonde hair with his index finger.

"At least I hoped you wouldn't."

"Angela, listen, I might have assigned my priorities inaccurately at times in the past, but I do know how important it is for us to work this out ... now. I can assure you that much. We belong together, Angela, and I would never forgive myself if I let you walk out of my life for good."

Angela could feel he meant every word he had said, and it warmed her heart. He was so honest about his feelings that she thought she had to be as well. It was time she told him about her ineptness to be a housewife in Iowa, about the urge to go back to work, her inner need to leave Branford; not him, only the city. So she started, "Tony, there's something ..."

"No", he interrupted her, "let me go first, please. I did some thinking while you were still asleep and I've made a decision."

Angela sat up and leaned against the bed's backrest, tightly pulling the duvet under her armpits. The rest of sleepiness instantly fell off of her for she could feel he was going to say something very important. "Okay, go ahead", she said.

Tony cleared his throat. He had just made the decision while watching her sleep and thinking about the flower pot analogy, but although it had taken him only a few minutes to come to the conclusion he was about to tell her, he was absolutely sure that it was the one and only way for them to go on. He knew she would try to talk him out of it but he wasn't willing to negotiate this, so he'd better come up with a good enough explanation right from the start.

"Angela, when I saw you among all these advertising people last night, I realized something. I realized that's the place where you belong. When I saw you on that stage, I recognized a woman I had missed for quite some time; the distinguished, self-secure and charismatic Angela, the one who takes matters in her own hands, who's independent, self-sufficient and strong. I saw you flourishing like a long-forgotten flower in that ballroom yesterday, ... sorry for alluding to the flora once again, but this really describes it best; as if you had been kissed awake from a long sleep and not by me, that's for sure." Tony felt his heart ache, conceding his own faults so honestly wasn't easy but it was necessary, so he went on, "I know you better than you know yourself, Angela, I should have realized earlier that keeping you away from your agency would necessarily make you miserable. I'm sorry that it took me so long to understand. I want you to be happy and satisfied, Angela, so please, ... go back to work, because without your work, you're not yourself."

Angela stared at Tony. One the one hand, she was relieved that he had noticed she was missing her agency and that he was fine with her going back to work, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure how the decision he had mentioned earlier would fit into his deliberations. Did he want to go back to a weekend-only relationship? Did he want to postpone the wedding? Did he want to - her heart skipped a beat - break up? She thought it was necessary to make him understand that she had tried the best she could, that she had been serious about supporting him with his career, that she would continue to work on becoming the woman at his side he wished her to be. So she explained, "Tony, I came to Branford to repay for some of the favors you did me all these years, I'm definitely not leaving you alone right now because of my selfish needs."

"You don't have to repay anything, Angela", Tony answered to that remark with some incomprehension. What did she want to repay for? "You already paid me, every month on the dot, remember? I was your housekeeper and it was my job to do you favors."

"Don't be ridiculous, Tony! You know you did far more than what your contract demanded from you."

"And you paid me better than any other housekeeper in town", he replied.

"I'm not talking about money, and you know it", Angela reminded him, "You were my housekeeper and friend and moral support for so long, now I want to be yours. Is that so difficult to understand?" she asked.

"Friend I understand. Moral support I understand. I would like to add lover to the list, ..." he smiled mischieviously, "but housekeeper? Really? Like the grocery shopping, cleaning, washing, cooking type?" he shook his head, "Why is that so important to you?" Tony really didn't have a clue. He remembered her having sudden attacks of playing house once in a while, like on their two-year anniversary, when she had insisted on making dinner for him, or like when he had been sitting in the wheelchair after she had accidentally knocked him over, or during his first teaching internship, when she had literally begged him to be allowed to care for her own household, but that she was so eager to play a traditional housewife right now didn't make any sense to him.

Angela hesitated. Explaining what this was all about she would be showing him her blind side, and that was her feeling of being inadequate to be Marie's successor as his wife. It would make her completely vulnerable and she felt as if she was presenting him the perfect reason to break up with her ... on a silver tray and tied with a fancy ribbon. But she had maneuvered herself into this impasse and now there was no way out other than being honest. "Isn't that what a traditional Italian marriage is like?" 'Come one, Angela, don't hold back the most important part!' she reminded herself and pushed herself to say, "Your first one was like this, wasn't it?"

"You want to be a housewife because Marie was a housewife?" Tony asked perplexed. "What gives you the idea I want you to be exactly like her?"

"Well, ... you loved her so much and ... I'm so different from her", Angela tried to explain her misgivings.

"Yeah, so what? I'm not anything like Michael", he looked deeply into her eyes, "and you love me nonetheless, don't you?" and when Angela nodded he added, "See!"

Slowly, Tony began to put two and two together, but he couldn't believe the picture he saw after having assembled all the pieces of the puzzle. She hadn't really taken that hiatus from her job only because she thought he wanted her to, had she? She didn't try to be someone else than she was just because she had the feeling he wanted her to be a copy of his first wife, did she? She wasn't insecure about his complete devotion to her, was she? No more misunderstandings, clear words were definitely called for right now, he decided.

"Have you been thinking that I want you to be any different from what you actually are? That I pictured you with a bun hairdo and an apron, a kid on your hip and a duster in your hand, taking care of the house while I'm off teaching?"

The way Tony had put it, it really sounded a bit ridiculous, Angela had to admit. Now she started to feel silly but she knew exactly where her inhibitions came from; she had always suffered from a low self-esteem, beginning with her teenage years, and her unsuccessful relationships, especially her failed marriage, hadn't exactly helped to strengthen it. She just couldn't believe that any man, and Tony was a man after all, wouldn't hope deep down his heart for a devoted wife who took off every hardship of her husband's back unselfishly. Michael had been a typical man like this and her incapability to be the wife he had wished for had eventually destroyed their marriage.

"But you would appreciate it if was like this, wouldn't you?"

"No, actually I wouldn't."

"No?" The way Tony had brushed away her question surprised Angela completely.

"No", he grinned.

"Why no?" Angela couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Because you wouldn't be yourself anymore", Tony explained.

"Not myself?"

"Angela, you are no housewife. Don't you think I'm well aware of that? And I don't want you to become one because it would mean that you'd have to change, and I don't want you to change because I love you exactly the way you are. ... You're perfect." Tony smiled.

'Ooooh, what a nice thing to say', Angela thought, 'he's so sweet, but could he really be serious?' She had to check. "You do?"

"Yes, I do. These two sides of you had me mesmerized the first day I moved into your house!"

"Two sides?" What in the world was he talking about? Angela herself was mesmerized right now. Nobody had ever told her she was perfect. As long as she could remember, people had been criticising her. When she was a teenager, she was too fat and too boring to belong to any kind of clique. When she started to work, she was considered to be too ambitious for a woman, and when she was married, her husband had told her she was too much focussed on her career for a wife. In the eyes of her mother she was too uptight, too prudish and too skinny. There seemed always to be something wrong with her. Her father had been the only person who had backed her unconditionally, who had called her 'my beautiful princess' and had given her the feeling of being loved no matter what she did or looked like. Was Tony really only the second person in her life who looked behind her facade and did he really like what he saw? "What do you mean with 'two sides'?" she asked.

"In Fairfield, when you're coming down for breakfast in the morning, well, ... for juice and coffee", he had never been happy about her not having a real breakfast at home before starting into her tough working day, "and you're all dressed-up and styled, you're so strong and determined; you're invincible, hands-on 'business Angela', on top of every situation, not afraid of anything in her business world. But there's this other Angela, the _true_ Angela, you can call her, the one only very few people have the privilege of seeing, ... and I'm one of them!" Tony grinned. He remembered how she had fought to keep up the image of being his steadfast boss when he had first become her employee. Only when she had lost her job at Wallace & McQuade, when she had broken down and had cried in his arms, had she allowed him to have a look at this other Angela for the first time, ... at the vulnerable, insecure woman. It had been a tremendous sign of her trust, he had understood.

"Do you know which moment of the day I always like best?" Tony asked.

"No", Angela shook her head. She was totally captivated by Tony's characterization of her. Was it really possible that he knew her that well? It seemed as if she was an open book to him.

"The moment you come home from the office. With every piece of your protective shield you're shedding, tough 'business Angela' vanishes a bit and sensitive 'private Angela' appears." Because Angela threw him an uncomprehending look, wrinkling her forehead, he went on explaining, "First you put your briefcase on the little bench next to the door, then you hang your coat on the rack; first two pieces of your shining armor. Then you pull off your jacket, if you're wearing one, or you open the uppermost button of your blouse, and you slip out of your high heels; next pieces, you're hardly protected any more. Eventually, you loosen your hair and sometimes you even let me massage your neck or your feet. Then I know for sure that 'business Angela' is gone and my beloved, true Angela is there. I've always loved this particular moment."

Angela looked at Tony in total awe. This had to be one of the most profound personality characterizations someone had ever made of her. This could only be done by someone who really loved her, she was positive about that. How could this man be so strong and macho on the one hand and so sensitive and empathetic on the other?

"And when you're coming downstairs, after having changed, in your pink bathrobe and bunny slippers, devoid of make-up and jewelry, I always think to myself, 'How can anyone be so beautiful in a worn-out terry cloth bathrobe?'"

Angela stared at Tony. Her heart was melting away. He had complimented her before, had told her that she was beautiful, but what he had just said was so loving and so intimate, that it took her breath away. "And do you like both sides of me equally?" she asked cautiously.

"It's the mixture, Angela. I just love the mixture. It amazes me that you can be so tough and strong when you're in business mode but so shy and warm when you're not. I guess I don't get the one without the other. Which brings me back to the decision I've made ..."

Tony left his last remark hanging in the air without any further explanation. Angela held her breath, very anxious to find out what exactly it was that he had decided. Her stomach convulsed and she suddenly felt sick. If he broke up with her right now because he had realized that neither of the two Angelas he saw in her was able to live with him in Branford, her world would collapse. Tony obviously could read from her facial expression that she was very worried, because he stroked her cheek and tried to calm her, "Relax, Sweetheart, we're gonna make it. Trust me!"

"What have you decided?" Angela asked hoarsely. She was very tense despite his assurance that everything was okay; she wasn't convinced at all.

"I'll quit", Tony stated as casually as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Quit?" Angela screamed, completely appalled, "Why would you quit? That would be a stupid thing to do! This is your dream job, Tony, and you love it! Don't tell me you don't love it! And you're so good at it. You just can't quit! Job offers like this don't come along on a regular basis", Angela stammered.

"Gee, don't you want to have me back in Fairfield?" He was a bit surprised how vehemently Angela tried to talk him out of it. He had expected some kind of resistance from her side because he knew she would look at his decision from the career perspective first; at least 'business Angela' would. Maybe he should try to engage the 'other' Angela into the conversation?

"Oh no, Tony, don't get me wrong", Angela put right, "I would love to have you back in Fairfield, ..." - alright, there she was, the 'other' Angela - "it's just ..."

"Just what?"

"I don't want you to let go of this once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity just because of me", Angela clarified.

"_Only_ for you! I wouldn't let go of it for any other reason", Tony defended himself.

"But if you regret your decision one day, you'll make me responsible for it."

"Angela, the only thing I could ever regret in my life would be if I gave up on us for some stupid job. I'll find a job in Connecticut, there have to be teaching jobs in Connecticut. This time I won't be a rookie applying. I'll fulfill my contract with Wells College, which means I have to stay for another quarter, get a good reference, and then I'm sure someone in the Fairfield area will hire a promising, committed and", he brushed through his hair in a faked vain manner, "handsome history teacher like me. And I will sure find a team to coach, even if it has to be Fairfield's junior high cheerleaders, I don't care. The only thing I care about is being close to you, and if _you_ are in Fairfield, _I_ have to be in Fairfield. It's that simple!" He shrugged his shoulders and grinned self-satisfied.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Tony?" Angela asked, still a bit insecure about it. She felt as if two souls were dwelling in her breast, just like Tony had described these two sides of her. One, the tough and ambitious Angela, wanted him to pursue his career, but the other, the doubtful and self-conscious Angela, the one in need of a lot of love, wanted him to leave Iowa and return to Connecticut.

"Angela, I never was more determined in my entire life. I just know that it is the right thing to do. I shared my first kiss with you when I was a boy at summer camp, and when I'm old and senile I want to share my last kiss with you as well. So please, let me do this for us, and I promise, I will never charge you with my the decision." Tony looked at Angela questioningly, hoping he had convinced her that this was no sacrifice from his part whatsoever, but that he was acting in his very own interest. He could see that Angela was wrestling with the idea, how she was weighing the pros and cons. If she could, she would make a list, went through Tony's mind. This was another trait of hers in which she differed from him; he was all impulsive, skittish and tended to decide things with his gut instinct, whereas she was all rational and decided only after having deliberately thought through every detail. They were a wonderful dream team!

Then, after minutes which seemed like hours to Tony, he could see that with the two souls dwelling in Angela's brest one was getting the upper hand; and he could also tell which one. The gradual change in Angela's facial expression left no doubt. She no longer frowned and her eyebrows, which had been raised for most part of their discussion, were slowly back at their original spots above her beautiful brown eyes. A slight smile was beginning to form at the corners of her mouth and her eyes started to sparkle. Eventually, she pursed her lips and teased him tenderly, "Handsome history teacher, hugh? I bet every highschool and college in Connecticut would like to have one of those."

* * *

"So you came back, Grandpa", the young woman at Tony's feet noted.

"Yep, I did. And it was the best decision I ever made, Violet. I found a job as a history and PE teacher at Barlow High School in Redding and became a baseball instructor at The Clubhouse, a semi-professional ball academy located here in Fairfield. So everything worked out pretty well."

"And when did Grandma and you get married?"

"Well, shortly after you were born, Sweetie. Your mother was already expecting you when I returned, so Angela and I decided to wait until after the delivery. We wanted to have the entire Thomopoulos-family with us on our special day." Tony had to smile when he thought back to the day he had finally married Angela, after seven years of friendship and two years on a rollercoaster ride as a couple. But since that day, their relationship had been running smoothly and none of them ever doubted that Tony's decision to leave Branford had saved their love."

"I guess you told me the entire story for a reason, Grandpa, didn't you?" the young woman discerned.

Violet had come to her grandfather that day in a desolate condition. She was 25 years old and in a serious relationship with her college mate Jason for almost two years. Jason had recently graduated and was planning on working as a volunteer for a development aid project in Africa for an entire year. This news had caught Violet off guard for she had been thinking of him moving in with her after his graduation. So she was now at a point of not knowing how to proceed with her relationship. That had been why she had come to Grandpa Tony for advice. The two of them had always been very close. Violet had been Tony's first grandchild and was the apple of his eye. He had babysat her many times, when her mother had been attending college classes, because Tony had wanted Sam to graduate despite her early motherhood; so grandchild and grandfather had bonded from early on. Tony had been Violet's confidante on many occasions, and he was the first person she had wanted to talk to after Jason had let her in on his plans.

"Sure. I'm your old, wise grandfather, remember?" Tony grinned.

"What shall I do?" Violet was desperate and clueless, "Shall I go with him to Africa? Shall I stay here and finish college first? Shall I beg him to cancel his plans? Shall I break up with him?" The last possibility made her cry. She buried her head in her grandfather's lap and Tony gently stroked her hair.

"Violet, Sweetheart, if you listened to what I just told you, you'd know what you have to do", Tony encouraged her.

"Go with him to Africa, like you went with Grandma?"

"No, that's not what I wanted you to get from my story."

"No? What did you want to get me from it instead? Please, Grandpa, tell me what to do." Tears were running down Violet's cheeks. This was her first serious relationship and she was very much in love. She felt alienated by her boyfriend when he had told her about his plans to go to Africa for a year. Well, he had asked her to come with him, to suspend her studies for a year and join him, but she wasn't too sure whether this would be the right decision.

"You have to _talk_ to him, Violet! That's what your Grandma and I did. We talked with each other about our expectations, our needs, our wishes, ... our fears. You have to be honest with yourself and with Jason, and then you have to decide what's best for you. See, Angela had tried to deny her personal needs just to please me, to become someone she thought I wanted her to be, and it had made her miserable. If we hadn't talked about it, if she hadn't confided in me about her anxieties, we might have broken up."

"But weren't you the one who denied his personal needs in the end by quitting your job and returning to Fairfield? Grandma wasn't able to follow you, so you had to follow her. Did you never think it was unfair?"

Tony had to smile. He had never asked himself this question; others had, like his friends and Mrs Rossini.

"A relationship consists of give and take, Violet. Sometimes you give, sometimes you take. With going back to Fairfield I gave, you're right. But there were times that I had taken, like when I started to go to college. I had a full-time job as Angela's housekeeper but she had given me the freedom to schedule my day around my classes to be able to go to college. She supported me during my internships with taking care of household chores she was paying me for. And not to mention ... she pushed me to accept that job offer from Wells College. Without her, I wouldn't have gone there in the first place, well, I wouldn't have graduated at all without her. If it wasn't for her, I would've spent my life being a housekeeper without a higher education." Tony gave her time to let that sink in, then he continued, "So, ... no! I never thought it was unfair. It was the right thing to do, aaaand ... I got something in return", he put his hand under Violet's chin and lifted it to meet her eyes, "The best life I could ever imagine. Being married to your Grandma for almost 25 years now is the best thing that ever happened to me. If I had stayed in Branford, stubbornly offsetting who's moving in with whom like a five-year-old, I would've ended up alone; with a great job maybe, but alone. I knew that I would never meet someone like your Grandma again, so I had to balance my job against love ... and I voted for love."

"But Grandma voted for her job", Violet pointed out.

"Well, not quite. Your Grandma voted rather for her herself, ... don't ever give up yourself for a relationship, Violet! If someone ever demands that from you, send that someone to hell! For someone who asks you to change for him, doesn't really love you. I sure didn't demand it from the woman I loved more than myself. Angela's job is an integral part of her, you have to understand. It's not only that she likes to work ..."

"A lot!" Violet interrupted Tony. She had always been amazed about the working ethic of her grandmother.

"... yes, a lot, but her work turned her into the person she is and without her work she's just not herself. She wasn't the person I had fallen in love with anymore without her work. So, if I wanted to have my Angela back, I had to bring her back to New York; and that's what I did. Got it?"

Violet thought for a moment, eventually she nodded. She laid her head on Tony's lap once again and let him stroke it. "You're a dream team, Grandpa. You know each other so well, and you love each other so much, that either of you cares for the other's needs first. That's great! I wish Jason and I could be like that."

"Oh, Sweetheart, it takes time to build up a relationship like our's. Rome hasn't been built in a day either. It's a lot of work and it needs a lot of talking. So why don't you call Jason and invite him over for dinner tomorrow? There's an Italian feast in the making with minestrone, spaghetti alle vongole, and your great grandmother's tiramisu. He can have dinner with us and then the two of you go for a walk and do some talking. What do you say?"

"I think it's a very good idea, Grandpa. Thanks so much! What would I do without you?" Violet stood up and gave Tony a compassionate hug. "But your story isn't finished yet, is it? What happened when you got back to Branford after that award ceremony in New York? Did you meet Timothy again?"

"Sure I met him, I was his teacher and coach, remember?"

"It must have been difficult to face one another, not only for you I mean, but for him as well", Violet assumed, "I bet he was ashamed."

"We had a good talk though."

Tony remembered it as if it had just taken place yesterday. He had known that talking to Timothy was inevitable. They had to get along with each other for another quarter after all, until Tony eventually would leave Wells College and Timothy would graduate. In Des Moines, when they had been practising for the friendly game against the Hawkeyes, the boy had kept his distance, had carefully avoided to be alone with his coach. Tony had noticed that their relation had become even more tense but hadn't been able to understand why of course, not yet; Angela would wise him up about 48 hours later, but he hadn't known back then.

Timothy for his part, had been the only member of the team who had an idea to where the Coach had left so unexpectedly. As much as he had wanted to gain Angela over, he had wanted her to be happy in the first place. And he had known that if the coach showed up at that award ceremony, she would be very happy. So he had silently wished for Tony to swallow his macho pride and follow his fiancée to New York.

The night Tony had returned from New York, he had run into Timothy downtown Branford on his way from the airport to his apartment and had grasped at the opportunity to clear up the matter for good. Sitting in the huge armchair in front of the fireplace in Fairfield now, the conversation with Timothy was running like a film in front of his mind's eye, he felt as if he was beamed 25 years back into the past.

_xxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"Timothy, can I have a word with you? There's something we have to talk about", Tony asked bluntly._

_"Uhm, ... yeah, ... sure, Coach", Timothy replied tensely._

_"Come on, I buy you a beer at Mel's Bar", he invited the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder and showing him a slight smile. He didn't plan to berate him, he only wanted to make clear that he expected him to stay away from Angela from now on._

_They entered the tiny bar across the street and Tony ordered two beers. He didn't really care whether it was appropriate for a teacher to have a beer with his student, but reassured himself that Timothy wasn't a minor anymore and that it would be a talk between two men in love with the same woman, and not between a teacher and his student. Still, Tony didn't know how to start the conversation, and he was grateful for Timothy doing so._

_"Uhm, Coach, I'm sorry", Timothy began feebly._

_"For what?" Tony replied._

_"Well, you know, ..." Or didn't he? But why would he engage him in a conversation then? He had been in New York, Angela had told him everything, and now he wanted to tell him to piss off, that was as sure as night followed day._

_"I don't blame you for having a crush on Angela. I know too well myself that it's not easy to escape from her magnetic pull, believe me. I tried for many years."_

_"So you're not angry with me that I kissed her?" Timothy asked cautiously._

_Tony inhaled deeply. He pictured Timothy's hand caressing Angela's breast, which was even more difficult to stand than the image of his lips on hers, but he swallowed his anger and went on, "If the situation was any different between us, I might call for you to clear that up like men, but I'm your teacher after all, and I thought we had a special connection, Timothy. You were almost like a son to me, the son I never had. Learning that you went after my fiancée wasn't easy to accept, I have to admit."_

_"I'm sorry, Coach. I wished she wasn't your fiancée. It was the only reason for keeping my feelings a secret for so long, but last week it just overwhelmed me to see her being so sad and I couldn't help but wanting to console her. Then one thing let to the next and ..." Timothy could still feel the delicious taste of Angela's lips touching his, although he was well aware that it had been a onetime experience, that it would never happen again. "But she made clear that there would never be anything between us. She said she loved someone else, ... I guess she meant you." Timothy's heart ached, he eased the tension with gulping down half of his beer._

_Tony's heart, on the contrary, jumped for relief. So the boy had understood. Good. _

_"So you went to New York, didn't you?" Timothy wanted to confirm his assumption._

_"Yes. I did."_

_"She was happy to see you, I guess."_

_"Oh, yes", Tony had to think about Angela's emotional words at the end of her acceptance speech, "she was. I should've agreed to go with her from day one. But hey, I retrieved my error just right in time."_

_"No hard feeling between you any more?" For a split second he wished the Coach would say, 'we broke up', but knew as well that it would never happen._

_"No, no hard feelings any more. We talked about a lot of things, ... including you", he looked at Timothy, "and eventually found a way to move on." Tony didn't want to be more precise. He had to talk to Prof Graham first and hand in his resignation officially before he wanted to tell anybody about it, especially the students._

_Tony noticed that Timothy lost all his body tension. One could literally witness how the final realization of having lost his love for good was slowly seeping through every fiber of the boy's body. __But Tony could also see that Timothy's feelings for Angela were true and sincere, he knew he wouldn't be stalking her but trying to heal from her rebuff. He sympathised with him and was willing to give him a bit more insight about what his relationship to Angela was about. Tony felt Timothy had a right to know why he had never had a real chance against him._

_"Angela is a terrific tutor, isn't she? She was mine too, I know what I'm talking about. I would've never made it through college without her", Tony explained._

_"Your tutor at college? I could swear Angela said that she met you like nine or ten years ago. So how could she have been your tutor at college then?" Timothy asked surprised._

_"I graduated from college only last year, Timothy, this is my first teaching job. I was working for Angela when she suggested I should enroll at college, and she supported me ever since I did."_

_"I never knew you worked for her advertising agency", Timothy stated._

_"I didn't. Well, not directly at least. I worked as ..." Should he really tell him? Depending on what the boy did with the information, he could be a target of ridicule for his remaining months in Branford. But Tony had never withheld the fact of being a housekeeper, he had always had the feeling that it wasn't anything he needed to be embarrassed about, and he wouldn't start now. "I was Angela's housekeeper for seven years." _

_"Housekeeper? I thought you were a ballplayer."_

_"I was a ballplayer until my shoulder got badly injured and my career was over and done with from one day to the next. I was newlywed, had little baby girl and no higher education. So I had to provide for my family with countless odd jobs. Then my wife died, and my daughter and I where the only ones left. Some day, I didn't want her to grow up in Brooklyn anymore and looked for a nicer environment for us to live and coincidentally came across Angela's job offer. She was in need for a live-in housekeeper, of course she was looking for a maid initially and a nanny for her son, but she was willing to give it a try. We became friends very quickly, a family later on. Our children grew up together like siblings and Angela and I were living together like, ... well almost like, ... a married couple. Just without one decisive aspect; we weren't a couple. We worked so hard to keep our friendship platonic that we almost lost each other." _

_Tony had a sip of his beer. The Kathleen-and-Andy-months still upset him. They had been so close to destroying everything between them and if Angela hadn't been so straightforward at their seventh anniversary, if she had waited for him to make the first move, they might have still been only friends._

_"Why are you telling me all this, Coach? It's kind of personal", Timothy felt uneasy being told these intimate details._

_"Because I want you to know that there's far more to Angela's and my relationship than what you can see on the surface. We're not as young and green as you anymore, we both gained our experiences with love, had to accept defeats and disappointments. This relationship is very special to us and neither one of us wants to risk losing it. Understand?"_

_"Sort of, I guess." Timothy felt flattered by his coach's open words, for he knew they were a sign of trust. If he wanted, he could make a mockery out of him within the entire community, but he didn't. He couldn't do that to him, and he could definitely never do that to Angela. "Thanks for telling me this. I will keep it to myself, I promise."_

_"I know you would, otherwise I wouldn't have told you", Tony grinned. "You're a good guy, Timothy. You'll graduate soon and you will be a fantastic ballplayer, much better than I ever was. But see, a sports career is an insecure thing. What happened to me can happen to anybody, that's why I want all of you to leave this college with a degree in hand." _

_ "Thanks, Coach."_

_"Call me Tony." Tony laid his arm around Timothy's shoulder and __waved the waiter to bring them two more beers. _

___xxxxxxxxxxxx_

"That was a good talk you had with him, Grandpa. Did he graduate eventually?" Violet wanted to know more about this guy who had wished for her grandparents to split up but then again had brought them closer together.

"Oh yes, he did. He never really needed it though. He became a very successful ballplayer and earned a lot of money throughout his career. But he established a foundation later on to promote and support young sports talents to stay in school and earn a college degree before becoming a pro. So it hadn't been for naught. Besides, it had strengthened his self-esteem, especially with respect to his father, who had never really believed he would be able to get a college degree."

"You're a good guy, Grandpa", Violet smiled at him. Tony cupped his granddaughter's cheek gratefully in return.

Suddendy, they heard a key in the front door; Angela was coming home. "Oh hello you two", she exclaimed happily when she saw them sitting in front of the fireplace, Tony in the huge armchair and Violet at his feet. The girl jumped up to greet Angela.

"Hi Grandma. Have you been working until now? It's quite late already", she admonished her.

"Violet, Honey, I didn't know you were coming!" Angela did hear Violet's rebuke but was so used to being welcomed home with that kind of remark that she just ignored it like she always did.

"Well, I just dropped by without prior notice. I needed to talk to Grandpa", the young woman explained.

"I see, one of your famous grandfather-granddaughter talks, hugh? What were you talking about?"

"Grandpa told me the story about you and Timothy", Violet informed Angela and could see her grandmother's facial features stiffen instantly upon hearing the name 'Timothy'.

"Timothy?" Angela turned to Tony, "You told her about Timothy?"

"Yes. She's having a difficult time with Jason and asked me what I thought about it. Well, their situation reminds me of the situation we were in in Branford, so I told her how we solved it. And Timothy played an important role, didn't he? I couldn't leave him out", Tony tried to defend himself.

"There's no need to be angry with him, Grandma. It's a great story and it happened a loooong time ago", Violet pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, of course you defend him", Angela said but only feigning to be annoyed, she had to laugh eventually. "Anyway, it worked out well, didn't it Sweetheart?" She walked over to Tony and placed a hasty kiss on his head, then a tender one on his mouth. Violet loved to see her grandparents like this. They were both in their late-sixties but still so compassionate and devoted to each other.

"I just had a wonderful day, guys!" Angela's eyes were sparkling. "I once again pulled the chestnuts out of the fire, I can tell you that. I love it when I get a client to eat out of my hands, and Mr Rollington was indeed eating out of my hands today. He accepted every draft I presented him and even agreed to increase his marketing budget like I suggested. It's been a comprehensive victory." She was in such high spirits, it was almost contagious. Working was like an elixir of life for her, in her office she felt as energetic and strong as ever. Only sometimes, when she was strolling with Tony at a leisurely pace through the park, when the two of them had to take a break and sit on the bench by the pond, she became aware of some of the years which had passed. "Some people might think I should retire, but I definitely still know how to lure a client into The Bower Agency!"

The other two exchanged glances. Tony threw his granddaughter a look saying, 'See, what have I told you? Her job is everything to her!' and Violet just shook her head.

"What?" Their knowing looks hadn't gone unnoticed by Angela.

"Nothing, nothing", Tony answered in a conciliating tone.

"Grandma, did you see Timothy once again after the ... uhm, ... kissing incident? Grandpa just told me about the conversation he had with him in that bar in Brandford after he had returned from the award ceremony in New York." Violet tried to draw Angela's attention back to Timothy.

"Yes, twice actually. I met him at the graduation ceremony at Wells College. It was Tony's last day as their professor and he was officially said goodbye before the graduates were handed their degrees." She remembered that she had been a bit tense to meet Timothy again, but after a short awkward first moment they had all relaxed. Angela had congratulated him on his degree and had even given him a short hug. "The second time was at the foundation assembly of his organization. We were invited and he even mentioned you in his address, remember Tony? He thanked you for insisting he got a degree and called you his role model for how to deal with the younger generation. We were both deeply touched by his words. He was married at that time, had two adorable kids, so he had finally found his match. We get a Christmas card from him every year, up to this day."

"Hey, Grandpa, are there any more public speeches you were mentioned in? First Grandma thanked you in her acceptance speech at that advertising banquet, then Timothy at the gala of his foundation, ..." Violet was impressed.

Angela once again turned to her husband and asked him with wide eyes, "You told her what I said about you in my acceptance speech?" and through clenched teeth she hissed, "What else did you tell her about that night?"

"That we did some talking, Angela, serious, honest talking. That was what my little story-telling was all about, Sweetheart", Tony left it that way, amusing himself about Angela's uptightness.

"Oh come on, guys. I'm not a kid anymore. I can imagine that you had sex that night", Violet threw in matter-of-factly, "No need to be embarrassed, Grandma!" The young woman chuckled. It was so common nowadays to talk about sex, but she knew that her grandparents belonged to a different generation to which sex still was a taboo, nothing you talked about in public.

Angela cleared her throat. She was indeed embarrassed and decided to change the subject, so she asked Tony, "What are we up to for the weekend, Honey?"

"We're having Jason over for our Italian dinner tomorrow and on Sunday I planned to take you to the flea market The Clubhouse has been organizing. I hope to find some baseball memorabilia there, maybe even a Tony Micelli baseball card, who knows?"

"As long as you don't sell the one I once gave you as a present, you can do whatever you want. I'm looking forward to it, it'll be fun. But for now I have to change, I desperately need to get out of these clothes." She took off her jacket and opened two buttons of her silk blouse, "Excuse me for a few minutes, I'll be right back."

Angela's announcement had incited another exchange of knowing looks between Tony and Violet. The latter closely watched her grandmother; she wanted to find out whether what her grandfather had said about her was true, that she would come back down as a different person once she had taken off her business clothes. Angela couldn't help but recognize the two were looking at each other again, both badly trying to suppress a grin.

"What's so amusing?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing", Tony replied, struggling to stay earnest.

"You already said that earlier. How come I don't believe you?"

"Angela, you go and change, and Violet and I prepare dinner. How about that?" Tony tried to calm the waves.

"What are we having?" Angela was always curious when it came to her husband's culinary accomplishments.

"Irish stew with mashed potatoes and vegetables, and I've already decanted a fabulous red wine to go with it." Tony was a master in making his wife happy about dinner.

"No dessert?" He always made dessert, it was unthinkable that he hadn't cared for a dessert.

"Chocolate brownies!" Tony declared solemnly.

"Hmmmm, sounds wonderful. I'm as hungry as a wolf. I won't be away for long." With his she turned on the spot and scooted upstairs.

"I know, Amore mio, I know", Tony said to himself. He looked at Violet and said, "And the two of us are starting to turn tomorrow's dinner into a feast now. The way to your lover's heart is through the stomach! A motto I'm sure living by since I know your grandmother!" Saying this, Tony pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen and let Violet pass in front of him.

"After you, Miss Thomopoulos, Grandpa Tony is going to show you some of his best tricks now!"

_**- - - THE END - - -**_


End file.
